Vengeance, Rage and Rebellion
by Star-Of-Radiance
Summary: They swore they would never trust again. But years later, Percy Jackson and his friends stumble their way. What they find astounds and horrifies them beyond imagining. Children of the gods have been taken and used for unimaginable purposes: to become killers. Caught under S.H.I.E.L.D's radar, the camps turn towards them. But it's only a matter of time before worlds collide.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

A fist smashed into his face and he was nearly out.

Only nearly. The twelve year-old boy had been through worse, and he hung by a thread.

His hair, once clearly blond, was matted and covered with blood, as was his face. Not that that would last, they would make sure of it. They always healed him, always strove to make him look as handsome and presentable as they could- what better way to hide the facade of a hardened killer?

The boy straightened, and looked at his torturers in the eye.

It was a classic scene: getting beaten up bloody whilst being tied to a chair- in a room with a dingy ceiling lamp hanging high above you. Only you don't expect twelve-year-olds to outlast grown men.

But these guys were rooting out the weak from the strong. This boy, obviously, was stronger than they thought. He was one of the strongest, they had no doubt.

One sapphire-coloured eye glared hatefully at his attacker. The other one was bruised and blackened beneath all that blood. He would be healed of course. But with four-finger rings helping them at their punching, and being already wounded and tied up, you can't deny it would be a long road to revenge.

"I think this one has had enough, don't you?" A guy with a Sokovian accent walked in the room. He wore a dark jacket, not a lab coat, and trousers, but he also had one of those ridiculous comb-overs that evil scientists seem to prefer in movies.

"Yes, sir." Without further adieu, they retreated, leaving the guy in charge, pulling up a chair to seat himself opposite of the young boy.

"Well, I think you've had enough for one day."

"How long are you planning to do this?" The boy's words took him by surprise.

They were slightly slurred but that was barely noticeable. He sounded strong. But then the good doctor supposed that once you've beaten a dog for so long, eventually the dog gets used to it.

He should have realised that someday, the dog would bite back.

The doctor smiled and stood, walking over to the table at the other side of the room. He poured a glass of water from a jug. "Someday, you will understand. We plan to make you strong, Alex. We're making you stronger than you can ever imagined. Than anything your father can ever possibly imagine."

"My father's dead!" The boy spat, leaning sideways on his chair. Somehow, he managed to keep upright, with great effort. "Either that or he's at a resort somewhere, drinking Scotch or Collada, and laying his hands on a waitress or bar-girl."

The doctor chuckled. "Well you may be right for the second bit, but not for the first." He sounded amused. He knew it mocked the young boy, but he had other concerns for now. He turned around. "Your mother knew the truth of it."

"DON'T," Surprisingly the boy had enough strength to scream in loathing at the mention of her. "EVER. MENTION. HER. AGAIN!"

He sighed. "Alex." He knelt down. He produced a glass of water for the boy. "You can see this the way I do: you're stuck here, trapped and you have no choice." He held out the glass. "None of us have any choice but to live under the power of those who are stronger than the rest. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but once you've taken the medicine, it gets better. Once you go for surgery, you get rid of the tumour. I know about you, and above everything else, I _admire_ how unshakeable you are, your morals and strength. You are probably the strongest one we have right here. But you aren't the only one." He knelt closer to the boy. "There are others here, and they're strong too. The problem is, they're the lucky ones: they're protected- by your parents."

"Even if I did believe you," Alex snarled. "I don't care. I've stopped caring ages ago."

"I don't believe that," the doctor remarked softly. "Otherwise, this wouldn't work, now, would it?"

Alex froze. The doctor had stood and the door opened. In, they dragged a girl, only slightly younger than Alex, a beautiful girl with black hair and green eyes. It was clear she would grow to be an outstanding beauty once she was a woman. Already she shamed models in their twenties.

Just the way they liked them. The doctor ran his hand on the girl's face. She struggled, while Alex watched wide-eyed with horror. He thought he had no more to lose...

But he was wrong.

He had this one. This last one.

"She's beautiful, isn't she, Alex?" He said softly, stroking her long black hair. "So very beautiful and so very talented. I can understand why you have an attachment for her, despite your young age."

The girl squirmed. "Now," the doctor said slowly, dangerously. "I was the one who rescued her from the Black Widow Programme and Madame B. They said it was a shame to let her go, she had such potential that was why I _had_ to have her. She had _too_ much potential. Those damned former K.G.B had absolutely no idea what they had, they wanted another Black Widow. But I couldn't have that, not when this girl had the potential to be so much more."

The girl glared at him. Alex wanted to kill him. He had begun to struggle in his chair and bonds, worsening his injuries. Blood oozed onto the floor. Red blood tinged with gold.

"Anyway, they discovered an anomaly in her blood, that was the same as yours. With ichor as well as red blood cells, they knew that she could be an asset to them- something far, far more than the average, enhanced super-spy. Anyway, they lost control of their super-spies ages ago. At least one of them is with HYDRA, another works for S.H.I.E.L.D and is their best killer. This one was lucky enough to slip under her father's radar, but especially after what I've seen her brother capable of, if the reports of the Triumvirate are correct- I just couldn't let her go. So it will be such a shame, Alex, if we were to let her go to waste."

A pair of fingers snapped. The girl was dragged, kicking and squirming. She met Alex's eyes- or rather his one good eye- as they dragged and strapped her to a table. "Now," The doctor had removed his jacket, putting on his lab coat, a pair of safety glasses and latex gloves. "If you would sit still."

The girl kicked at one of her assailants. The man glowered and prepared to aim a punch at the girl, when the doctor took hold of his arm. "Now, now," he warned. "I'll kill you," Alex vowed. "I'LL KILLL YOU!" He shouted.

"If you don't mind, Alex," the doctor ignored his threat. "The resulting mixture I've come with is rather crude. I'd rather not waste her on this, especially as the cruder the serum, the worse it will be, but, you've given me no choice... Or have you?"

Alex froze.

"You need to make your choices, Alex." The doctor said softly. "You too, young lady. You need to make the right ones. Now, you can save yourselves and each other... If you so choose."

* * *

In another room, in a claustrophobic cell, a girl of Asian descent listened. She nudged another, a girl who was vaguely Middle-Eastern, but not Arab. An unspoken signal ensued.

The first girl looked across her cell to another where a blond girl with blue eyes and a boy with grey eyes sat or stood. An unspoken wave of communication passed through them. From the lower levels, a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, watched them. Determination and ferocity glinted in their eyes. They had had enough.

* * *

"Make your choice, Alex." The doctor said casually. "You... Or her."

"Me!" He shouted, desperately. The girl squirmed, trying to cry out to him, but one of the thungs, pressed his hands over his mouth. "Just take me." He said, his strength finally breaking.

"No one will remember me, anyway." He murmured, but the girl with the beautiful green eyes would. And those eyes said it all.

"Very well then," the doctor moved towards the door, putting the syringe down on a tray. "Take them: both of them."

"NO!" Alex roared, as the girl was wheeled out of the room on her and something knocked him cold.

* * *

A boy looked on with grimness, as he heard a girl screaming. They were carrying her off to the surgery room, he had no doubt about that. He wondered when they were going to take her. They must have seen it, he decided. They must have seen it all.

Nothing went past them.

He had elvish features, blue eyes, upturned eyebrows and sharp nose, a crooked grin that once appeared but had now faded. Those features had hardened now. Torture and brutal training had knocked them out of him. Killing too. Mishcief was no longer such a merry thing.

But now it was time for revenge... And escape. Naturally they had prevented every measure of escape known to one such as him, but they weren't infallible. Especially as that Iranian girl from across the room had rolled out a tool carved from bone for him.

Natural, organic. No metals. How else would it get past detection?

Now was the time. They could not afford to wait any longer, not when she was being wheeled into the room and currently fighting for her life. If they tortured her beforehand, there was a likely chance that she would be too weak to survive. They couldn't afford to wait.

Unfortunately, whilst working on the lock, it would take time. Even with the Iranian girl tinkering away at her project. It wasn't easy to begin with, getting those bits in place, making something that could work with organic materials running the risk of being found out- and suffering a worse fate. But they had long given up hope of rescue and depending on others.

* * *

"Now, now, Alex." The doctor said breezily. He held up a different syringe. "The resulting serum is undoubtedly fine, I just wanted your cooperation though. Not for this: but for something else. You see the one who sold you here, wasn't as... Fine in her works as we would have liked. There was a young boy in New York, around your age, and once this is done, we would like you to introduce yourself to him- and to us. He shouldn't be hard to find- once you know how. Like her, he has green eyes and black hair. Like her he shows a lot of potential, though unfortunately he attracts a fair amount of attention, particularly from gods and mortals. And we cannot have that. Once this is over with, I want you to bring him to us. And don't try to refuse, it will make things far less painful. His name," the doctor paused. "Is Percy Jackson."

Alex struggled, staring at him with loathing in his eyes, but he was gagged and strapped down.

"Wheel him into surgery," the doctor ordered, "begin preparations."

"Yes, doctor." They had already gotten started on the girl, and her screams had ceased once they tranquilised her- a small mercy compared to what was coming ahead.

They wheeled Alex into the room, and the boy did not remember his instructions: he remembered only the face of his enemies and vowed that he would eliminate them all.

* * *

Alarm bells sounded. "What was that?" The doctor snarled, finally breaking his composure. "What was that?"

"Sir, alarms have gone off," a soldier came running, huffing.

"I know that, fool!" He shot at him. "Why have they gone off? What is-"

An explosion rocked the place. "Sir!" Another guy screamed. "There's been a leak! The facility-" Another explosion drowned out his words. "Go!" The doctor shouted. "Get those children out of the surgery room," he ordered. "The rest of you- tranquilise and carry as many of them as you can!"

"Yes sir!" They started shooting at the children in the cage. Boys and girls gasped and cried out as they began shooting them with powerful tranquilising darts. In no time at all many of them were being carried out.

Except one. A big burly boy smashed into one guy, and another. Nearby, a the blonde-haired girl sharing a cell with the grey-eyed boy, shot something from a maekshift sling. It knocked out the other guard and she shot something at the boy with the elvish features who was in the same cell as the strong boy. He took it and began working it- the final piece of the lock. The doors swung open.

They began opening as many cells as they could. Time for the contingency plan.

* * *

The girl's screams had long-since faded, but her beautiful face and form were motionless, as if dead. The boy was also unconscious. The surgery room was covered with steam. It was completely thick.

"Come on- before the explosions gets to us- we have to-" a fist smashed at his face, fully healed. The man crumbled. Its owner was currently unseen as the fist pulled back and a soldier nearby aimed his gun and fired.

Only for him to be hit on the face. Alex emerged, his golden hair glowing his sapphire eyes glaring. His features were clean and fully healed. He strode over to the table where the girl lay.

It was time to leave. For good.

As the building exploded around them, the children escaped and never looked back. Not once. Not for many years.


	2. Chapter 2

_Years later,_

 _Dublin, Ireland…._

They were following him. He knew that much.

It was that part of him which had been honed and sharpened to perfection. They did more than just beat him to a pulp and use him as a lab rat.

Alex walked calmly away from the city He was west of the city centre, in Phoenix Park. Áras an Uachtaráin, the presidential palace, could be spotted from all the way over here, but Alex wasn't stopping for any sight-seeing. He knew this city like the back of his hand, he had a virtual map inside his mind; already the car had been following him all the way from Amiens Street where he had arrived from the Dublin Connolly. They had been waiting for him.

Irritation rose within Alex but he didn't let a single bit show. He knew they were waiting for him. If it was that serious- if this was an official agency of some kind, he would know. These weren't tourists, though they were posing as them. Clearly unfamiliar with the city streets and buildings, the way they moved through the streets on the car betrayed a slight hesitancy, an irritation, a frustration of kinds, including forgetfulness. Here, drivers moved on the left side of the lane, and the steering wheel was to the right of the car. They could be continental Europeans, most of the countries there drove on the right side of the lane, but he doubted it. He had a strong suspicion that they were American. Alex passed through Phoenix Park, found his car.

A car he always used for escape routes and kept in that exact place in case of people following him, like them. Not that he was planning to escape just yet- he was just testing them. It never hurt to find out more about your pursuers before you took them out. The car unlocked and Alex slipped into the driver's seat with ease. He took off.

Ah, much easier for them to follow him, now that he was the same speed and flow as the traffic. They didn't dare follow him too closely, but they couldn't lose sight of him either. Now he wanted to test just how professional his stalkers were, and what their motives were- before he took them out.

* * *

Percy looked ahead in irritation. He and Jason took turns driving, and it was the first week of summer back at camp.

And yeah, naturally in Ireland, Annabeth reminded him, cars drove on the _left_ side of the lane, and steering wheels were on the right. This was _not_ what he practiced on Paul's Prius.

"He's going out of the city," Annabeth was busy rifling through the maps. Yeah, because unlike everyone else, demigods don't use GPS: they can't. With modern electronics, you could easily send out a signal to monsters like, ' _I'm over here, please rearrange my face!'_

Percy sighed. "I don't think he's going to be heading back to the city centre, probably farther west, don't know where, though." He grumbled.

"'Kay," Annabeth remarked, rifling through the maps. Behind them Jason was using a pair of binoculars, and so was Piper. They were busy spotting down this guy.

"So, Rachel and the Apollo Cabin send us out all the way to Ireland for one guy," Jason spoke. "Ever wondered what was so special about this guy?"

Percy snorted. If he knew they wouldn't be having this problem. Annabeth could easily whip up a plan to catch this guy, and the rest of them could extract him to New York, all the way back to camp. At least that's what they thought.

The truth was this guy had been leading them on tour of the city. He had a notepad in his hand, an iPhone, and a pen and had been busy writing things down on that notepad, checking his phone like a GPS- which he probably had, Percy thought, annoyed. He was probably writing some tour-book or something.

"Look, he's heading west," Piper pointed. "Then let's follow him," Annabeth ordered, and Percy moved that way, rolling his eyes while Annabeth gave him instructions to avoid being noticed by their target- and anyone else, including monsters.

* * *

Well, they were definitely clever, but not clever enough. They thought that he wouldn't notice them, especially when they were cleverly using routes and tactics that would fool the average driver, but it was clear they were not professionals. They did not work for any spy agency, they weren't affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D or HYDRA. Were they working for _them?_ He didn't know, it didn't seem like them to hire amateurs for this job. Now that he was in a car, he could easily escape them. Perhaps they would find him, well, maybe, but not before he paid his respects first.

Alex lost them in the traffic, taking a rather clever contingency route, and managing to lose them. He managed a smile. He bet they were probably furious with each other in that car. A rental car? Seriously, they didn't think he would know? As if their driving didn't give enough away.

Alex pulled to a halt, parking just outside a cemetery. He did this once a week, but it was safe to do so now. He had little doubt, judging by how clever they were, though unpolished in their methods, that they would catch up and find him soon. But if they had taken the time to follow him for at least a week, they would realise this was the day he visited the cemetery. As it happened, they had yet to appear, and judging by the way they acted, no one was tipping them off- or rather, it was a very vague tip-off. Not much info. Still, if he wanted to be safe, he needed to leave and leave soon. But not before paying his respects, after all, who knew when would be the next time he would lay flowers on their graves?

Alex sighed as he got out of the car. He made his way to the cemetery, amidst the tombstones, engraved angels, rusted iron adornments. The skies were grey, clouds rolling like a sealed lid on a sardine tin. Or a coffin. Alex walked to one of the graves.

Well, there were two. Two for people who had actually never met in life, but both of whom he cherished more than the whole world.

 _Nuala Niamh O'Brien_

 _Born 5_ _th_ _May 1999_

 _Died 1_ _st_ _May 2003._

 _An chuid eile i síocháin_

There was another tombstone:

 _Leifteanant-Ghinearál Aidan Connor McDermott:_

 _Born 26_ _th_ _March 1973_

 _Died 8_ _th_ _August 2010._

 _An chuid eile i síocháin_

The last inscription simply meant: Rest in Peace. Irish had been his first language, even when he spoke English fluently, he still used Irish quite frequently.

There were two wreaths with him. He had left the notepad and pen which he had used to fool his pursuers in the car. Kneeling, he placed a wreath of Ashpodel, Baby's Breath, rue, honeysuckle and clove on the first grave and another of Gladiolus, Agrimony, Protea, Japanese Camellia, Campanula, laurel and Thuja on the second grave. The first wreath symbolised the regrets that followed her to the grave, innocence and purity of heart, regrets and sorrows, devoted love and affection, and undying love respectively. Alex had made note to check the language of flowers in a library. It would have been amusing had it not been so sorrowful and serious. The second wreath symbolised strength of character and honour, thankfulness, courage, unpretending excellence, gratitude, success and renown, and everlasting friendship. Those what was meant for each of them.

Now he was all that was left.

Alex inhaled and exhaled, his breath blowing mist, like a fog in the cold.

He closed his eyes. _I'm sorry,_ he thought. _I've never been more sorry in my life. You'll always stay with me… Always…._

He had many ghosts. That he couldn't deny.

* * *

Alex stiffened and opened his eyes. Unwelcome irritation and anger flooding through him in the peace of this grieving moment. He had been prepared for this, knew this was going to happen, yet it angered him nonetheless that they should follow him _here,_ though he probably would have guessed that anyone who wanted to follow him had no respect for the dead.

The anger rose considerably.

He strode over, barely bothering to feign anything, and made his way back to his car- only unexpectedly, he took a sharp turn, turning right towards the ridiculously conspicuous (at least for him) rental care and wrenching the front door opened.

The inhabitants of the car started when in a flash, he had his gun out and aiming right for them.

"Whoa!" Their hands flew up and they jumped in their seats.

There were four of them, he noticed. A girl with honey-blond hair and grey eyes, a lovely girl with tanned skin and multi-coloured eyes, a blond boy with blue eyes and a handsome boy with black hair and green eyes.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," he said, deceptively calm with an undercurrent that spelt danger and was more frightening than a shout. They were around the same age as him, give or take a year. The blond girl opened her mouth, about to say something, but he beat her to it. "You were waiting in a rental car, at the Dublin Connolly train station back in Amiens Street. I went right and then left to the Connolly Station car park, took a detour to back to Sheriff Street Lower, went to Foley Street and then James Joyce Street, went all the way to the Clock Tower and you were still with me. You were with me by the time I entered Phoenix Park, more than ten minutes later- I took my time- and passed the presidential palace, and got into my car- the one I keep for emergencies. I left the city centre, went west outside the city and managed to lose you, though judging from what I'd seen- clever, but sloppy, really unrefined- your skills were enough to track me sooner rather than later." He paused. They flushed with embarrassment at that. But Alex ignored them. He went on.

"Normally I would exercise patience with you guys, but you've caught me at a time when I should be _paying my respects_ to the _dead_ in their burial place. I don't appreciate that, and I doubt that you would either when you're trying to make your peace and say farewell. You weren't in Ireland for a long time, so I know you weren't professionally-trained: people who were, would normally spend roughly a week, if not more, surveying their target's daily routine, their habits, their schedules, where they live, but you didn't do any of that. At best, you had a tip-off, which was very slight and sloppy. A very good tip-off, but you were ill-prepared, and that could get you in trouble." He aimed the gun. "That _did_ get you in trouble."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," the black-haired boy protested.

The brunette girl opened her mouth, but Alex snapped: _"Don't_ even think about it. Try to sweet-talk me out of it, and you and your friends will regret it. As I've said, you've just interrupted me paying my respects to the dead. _Very_ disrespectful and rude, I wouldn't push it." He snarled. His eyes flashed. He didn't even look directly at her. "I am _not_ in a good mood. So, keep your powers to yourself and under control, why don't you?"

That line caught them off-guard. The green-eyed boy gaped at him. The blond girl opened her mouth and closed it, repeatedly.

An uneasy silence filled them.

"You came here," Alex said calmly. "Via Dublin Airport. Across the Atlantic. American, without a doubt, I knew that even before I heard you speak. The way you drove, the way you were uncomfortable with the road, the left-side of the lane, the steering wheel being on the right side, the way that someone-" he nodded to the blonde girl "-was probably smart enough to help you evade detection and arouse suspicion, by street tactics. Smart, but not polished, and even then, anyone would be able to spot it." The green-eyed boy and the grey-eyed girl flushed. "You arrived not three hours ago. Two of you have bags under your eyes, you know that?

"At first I thought _them."_ He said dangerously. "Or HYDRA. Or S.H.I.E.L.D. Or even CIA, MI6 or G2, from here in Ireland, but like I said, it's clear that you're not professionals. You might be young, but they do train their youths very well. I can attest to that." His eyes narrowed. "So, who the heck are you and _what_ do you want with me?"

There was yet another silence.

It was clear they weren't outgunned or out-numbered, but they were clearly outsmarted.

Even Annabeth was speechless. Percy took a deep breath. He figured it was best to be honest to the guy, as it couldn't hurt them anymore. Besides, that guy was mad because they interrupted him when he was paying his respects, probably to a dead family member. As embarrassing and humiliating as this was, Percy got that. He could understand why this guy would be so mad as well as defensive.

What he didn't get was how he was so smart.

Smart enough to throw Annabeth off her rocker.

"My name is Percy Jackson," ignoring the outraged and horrified look Annabeth was sending his way. "This is Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace and Piper McLean."

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed.

"Look man," Jason interjected. "We're not trying to hurt you or cause any trouble."

"You don't look like you've planned ahead," he said acidly. "You were clearly _inviting_ trouble. I've been keeping an eye on you for as long as you've been tracking me. I'm used to being followed- heck, I'm used to being hunted. You don't think well-trained, more experienced and better-equipped professionals have tried to do it? All the way from Russia or America, like yourself?" He asked sceptically.

"A long way from New York, aren't you? Long Island? Wait- the big city, I'd say you're from the Big Apple itself." He looked at the others. "And you two-" he nodded to Piper and Annabeth. "California, I'm almost certain. You're not from there, but like you've been spending time in San Francisco, but probably lived in Virginia as well, at least in your early years." He remarked casually to Annabeth. "Though you've probably lived in or around San Francisco your whole life, if not the majority of it." He glanced at Jason. "Still, I'd peg you as coming all the way from New York, _Long Island_. Is that where your base of operations is located?"

Annabeth felt the colour drain from her face, and everyone else was staring at equally aghast and horrified expressions at this guy. Who _was_ this guy?

"Then you're clearly not S.H.I.E.L.D, though S.H.I.E.L.D definitely has a base of operations in New York City- Tony Stark works with S.H.I.E.L.D, and he has a tower there, if I'm not mistaken." He mused. "The rest of the Avengers _could_ be found there. But S.H.I.E.L.D's headquarters are at the Triskelion on Theodore Roosevelt Island, between Washington D.C and Virginia." He studied them suspiciously.

"It's not well-known where all of HYDRA's cells are. They could have one in New York, but hopefully, they're not that dumb. Terrorists might target New York, but a terrorist organisation like HYDRA does more than explosions and terror attacks. Biological warfare- technological warfare too, it's too risky for a group with technology as sophisticated as HYDRA's, and scientists that are notorious amongst S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers, to be seen anywhere near New York City. They've got CCTV cameras, and I bet Tony Stark would have hacked into them more than twice a year, even with all his parties. Or at least, he would've given S.H.I.E.L.D the capacity. I already knew that neither HYDRA nor S.H.I.E.L.D sent you here, they would have sent someone _highly_ experienced and qualified to take me down, if they're aware of my history. They're arrogant. But the others…" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "They might think that sending a group of semi-trained and experienced teens around the same age as me would catch me off guard. It's so like them to be so clever just to try and capture or kill me. Still, it's a new low, even for them. To hire teens all the way in Long Island… Wait- you guys look like you should be in a Summer Camp."

As if things couldn't get any worse, Percy thought miserably. Wait, he shouldn't jinx it.

"So, I'm going to give you this one chance," Alex said calmly. "To come clean. Who do you work for? Who sent you here?"

"What, you haven't already found out?" Percy mumbled.

"I'm giving you this chance to be honest about it." Alex stated. "I'm used to being hunted, but doesn't mean I have to tolerate it anymore. Right now, I'm getting sick of it. I've been living, looking over my back for _years,_ waiting for them to come for me." Rage flashed in his dark-blue eyes. "If they're going to kill me, I might as well go down fighting, but I actually thought, that this morning, that I might get to visit my family's graves in peace."

Now Percy felt guilt- and shame at literally stalking him at such a private moment.

"We came looking for you," he said slowly. But Hades, he didn't know what to say to this guy! What was he going to say- that you're a demigod and you should come with us, back to New York to Camp Half-Blood where you can train, be safe and get sent to dangerous quests whenever the gods feel like it?

Alex stood there, watching him patiently. He hadn't put down his gun.

"We were sent here," he began slowly. "To find you. Because we thought you might be in danger."

Alex cocked an eyebrow. _Oh, really?_ He felt like saying sarcastically.

"I'm used to taking care of myself." He stated the obvious.

Percy snorted. "Yeah. But we didn't know that. We're not used to going outside of North America for this kind of trip either."

"How inconvenient. But that doesn't explain who you're working for."

"We're not working for any big-shot government organisations," Percy said. "Or any terrorist organisations either."

"You mean this is likely an illegal group, without the government's notice?" Alex lowered the gun slightly. "Not that I mistrust governments _too_ much, but I've always avoided them unless necessary. I _am_ a soldier. You, ahem, _rescue_ teens often, then?"

"How'd you know?"

"Because judging by the way you look, you're around the same age as I am, give or take a year. Yet, I think you think, that I'm older than you guys. I saw you looking me up and down once I'm close enough. In reality, a few of you are probably older than I am."

Percy stared at him. "You're kidding me."

"I'm not." Alex said calmly, lowering his gun completely now. "1993-94? I was born in March 1994."

They stared at him. "No kidding."

"I still don't trust you," Alex emphasised slowly. "And though I may regret losing my cool, I really don't appreciate it when I'm trying to pay my respects to my dead family." He hadn't even gotten to his grandparents' graves just yet. "But I don't think you're trying to kill me. You're not stupid either, that's another reason. Your methods aren't as refined as a professional's but you were really quite good. You're expert fighters too, by the looks of it. I can tell a lot just by looking at someone." He nodded to each of them. "American, New York. Possibly half-Greek, judging from your Mediterranean features and colouring." He turned to Annabeth. "Also half-Greek, possibly some Scandinavian ancestry, a bit of British, German, Norwegian- is it Norwegian? And American." Piper. "Half-Native American. Half Caucasian, possibly Greek. Maybe a bit of Scottish and Irish there somewhere." Jason. "American, no doubt. San Francisco, California, but the way you've cut your hair, the way you carry yourself, the way you dress and even that purple shirt- it looks like you have your heart set on emulating the Ancient Romans." He smirked.

Jason shook his head. "You have got to teach me that sometimes."

"Maybe," Alex said lazily. "It's no secret, we all have secrets. But few of them are as well-hidden as we'd like them to be. I don't think you're the type to lie casually about everything, and even though you're seasoned fighters, I doubt you had training to lie and cover up your daily activities." A suspicious glance. "What do you want with me? Why do you make it your business to take people to New York?"

Percy looked at Annabeth, Annabeth looked at Percy. Percy and Annabeth both looked at Jason. Piper looked at Jason and the two of them.

Annabeth sighed. "Look- we're sorry we barged in on you, but we really aren't trying to capture or kill you. We genuinely pick up kids, like you've said, before something else picks them up."

"Or some _one."_ Alex stowed away his gun. "In that case, you've missed a lot of opportunities for rescue." He moved back a few steps.

Her grey eyes shot at him. "What do you mean?"

"Did anyone follow you?" He interrupted. "From Phoenix Park, all the way over here?"

"No." She looked suspicious.

"The correct answer is _yes,"_ Alex said in a deadly calm. "Because now, I suspect we might be on the same side, after all. Because whoever else is following me, is clearly after you as well." He whipped out his gun faster than the blink of an eye, and shot at a tire and a windscreen of another car in quick succession.

* * *

"Get down!" He shouted. They dove down, Alex rolling behind a tree. Gunshots filled the air. People- there were people aiming for Alex. Bullets smashed the windscreen above Percy and Annabeth gave a cry as the glass rained down on them. It smashed pretty much all the windows, and glass rained down on Piper as well. Jason grabbed her tight.

Alex let loose another bullet, which flew almost gracefully through the air, zooming straight towards one shooter's chest. It struck him there, and he fell over, slumping to the ground. Another bullet was fired, finding its way directly to the other shooter's leg, and another found its way to his head.

Alex grabbed the girl and the boy at the front seat. "C'mon." He pulled open the back door. "You have to ditch the car." He pulled the other two out. "They've known it. It's likely they placed a tracking device on it."

Annabeth blinked. "What?"

It was clear despite being experienced fighters, that they had never been in a gunfight before, Alex decided. But there was no time to waste.

"Over here," he grunted, unlocking the car door. He all but shoved them inside, and they clambered in gratefully. "Who are they?" Piper gasped.

"No idea," Alex said, starting up the engine. "And I don't intend to stay to find out. There's more of them, I can bet."

They sped off into the distance.

* * *

Alex glanced over his shoulder. The wing-mirror showed a black car in pursuit. Well, actually that was two.

"We've no time to waste. Brace yourselves," was the only warning he gave before he rammed on the accelerator and did a dangerous U-turn that nearly flipped them upside down. Someone had started shooting at them from behind.

Piper actually screamed in the back seat and Annabeth yelped. "What the hell dude!" Percy yelled. But Alex ignored him brushing past one of the cars, prompting it to turn and follow him. He drove straight for the other car, and it looked like they were going to collide.

"Pull away!" Piper screamed. "Pull away!"

Annabeth paled. This didn't look so good. But at the very last moment, Alex swerved dangerously, causing the car hot at his heels, to crashed into the other car. It flew at least three feet into the air, and off the side of the road, while the other car crashed into a pole. In a shower of glass and other broken bits, the second car landed with an enormous smash onto the first one. Oil leaked into the road, and eventually it caught fire.

Alex pointed his gun casually outside the window and fired a bullet at a speed camera. It went dead.

"There's more of them," he warned. "They've been following you, and they were there at the Dublin Connolly. They were probably waiting for you at the airport, wanted you to lead them to me. A few more seconds talking and we would've been either dead or captured. I threw them off guard, talking to you, and pulling out my gun, threatening you. I'm sorry I had to do that," he glanced wryly at them. "But it was to take them off guard. Another reason why I didn't take my usual car which was at the station's car park."

Annabeth just stared at him while he revved his car engine and they headed off.

* * *

He slammed the cabinet door open.

"This is a safe house?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes."

"Military?" Her grey eyes narrowed. "You said you were a soldier."

"I am," He closed the cabinet and locked it. "SFA- _Sciathán Fiannóglaigh an Airm._ The Army Ranger Wing division of the Irish Defence Forces." He brought out ration packs. "Might as well eat and use the toilet while we can. And no, this isn't _their_ safe house. It's mine. I built it."

"You said you were our age," Piper argued. "Yeah," Jason spoke. "Only a few months older than me. How'd you get in the military that young? Last I thought, most militaries around the world, don't really admit people under eighteen, and clearly, you've been training for years. You've had to be part of the army, navy or air force for years before any special operations division takes a notice of you."

Alex's lips twitched into a small smile. "I've had my ways," he said softly. "I also had a mentor. He taught me all I needed, gave me a new purpose in life."

"And where is this guy?"

Alex fell silent. "Dead. I just saw him in the cemetery."

Silence. "I'm sorry," Jason cast his eyes down. "So the, ahem, er…"

"SFA," Alex interjected. "Did they train you?" Percy looked up from what he was examining. High-tech equipment. He hoped Alex wasn't going to use it around them.

"Yes, and no." He admitted. "I was a cadet fairly early on, but someone else snapped me up before they did." He stopped and looked bitter. "Let's be honest, shall we? Why do you pick up teens, from all over the world, though mostly from North America and take them to New York?"

Percy winced and Annabeth grimaced. This question was going to pop up sometime.

"You don't seem like the type to drag unwilling kids," Alex mused thoughtfully. "So, I'm guessing you rescue them instead, and they're usually quite willing. Plus, you weren't prepared when I pulled out the gun at you. You weren't prepared for any gunfight at all, though you were experienced fighters, judging by the looks of you."

Jason sighed. He rubbed his head. "This is gonna be a long story."

"We have enough time," Alex responded. "This may be the only time that we have." He was right about that. He sat down on the table. "Would you like to take a seat?" He gestured to it.

They sat down. They were really too tired to do anything, and they didn't want any more surprises.

"Look," Percy sat down. "We really don't know what to tell you, in fact, you'll think we're crazy."

"Try me." He retorted. "I've been through a lot of unbelievable things in my life, I've seen and experienced what some people think impossible. I've also turned on the telly one day and saw images of giant flying monsters and a Norse god on TV and a group of superheroes: one big green guy, another Norse god, an all-out American superhuman soldier, a guy in flying armour, a red-haired master assassin, an archer and- did I miss anyone out?" He wondered.

"Yeah," Percy laughed, despite himself he laughed. "I forgot about that."

"The world was either never as simple as we thought, or it suddenly got complicated." Alex rubbed his eyes. He stifled a yawn.

"Okay," Percy interrupted. "Greek gods are real. And so are 'Greek myths.'" He put an emphasis on the quotation marks.

"And that means…?" Alex looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Look, you ever read the stories about the Greek gods and their kids, like Hercules, Perseus and Theseus?"

"I'm Irish," Alex said bluntly. "I know our stories, but yes, I've read their stories too. Watched some popular Hollywood blockbusters. I know the general storyline, though Hollywood _does_ twist things around."

" _Riiigght."_ Percy stared at him. "Because we're their kids. Jason, Piper, Annabeth and me. We're the children of the Greek gods. And we think you might be one as well."

"Some people might find that flattering," Alex dryly remarked. "But it isn't very pleasant, is it? Not when you've been blamed for nearly about every accident in school, have ADHD and Dyslexia, teachers trying to kill you and occasionally eat you too, and at times, the students do the same thing. Sometimes you get kicked out of school. Other times you live on the streets." His eyes grew distant, far-away. "Not many make it."

Percy stared, and so did the others yet again. "It sounds like you're not that surprised." Annabeth stated, point-blanc.

"Truth of the matter?" He turned back to her. "No, I'm not."

"Wait-" Jason held out a hand. "Hold up. You _knew_ you were a demigod?"

" _Knew?_ I didn't know. I never believed it, I didn't want to believe it, but I did have a suspicion and you four came into my life to confirm it. Do you know just how many of us are there in the world?" Alex's voice grew very dangerous and quiet. "And yet you rarely go outside of North America? What's the big deal about you staying in America, anyway?"

"The gods are there," Annabeth didn't know what else to say. "Mount Olympus is there. I mean, the mountain is in Greece, but the palace moves."

"And I take it there was a training camp for demigods in Greece, but it moved as well?" Alex looked very mildly surprised. "But it's no longer in Greece. Why did they leave?"

"Well, the gods move with the heart of Western Civilisation," Annabeth continued. "It isn't an abstract concept, it's a living, breathing force, generated by the gods themselves. They are the source, they can't directly interfere with the mortal world, but they do have kids, even after all this time." She tried not to wince at what it sounded like. "Western Civilisation first began in Greece, and so did Greek culture, sciences, art, literature, poetry and music, things like that, and the gods did come down and have, well, have kids with mortals."

"And nymphs."

"And nymphs, and often the kids they had are demigods- half-human, half-god. There were many famous ones, not just Hercules and Theseus, Bellerophon, Perseus and Achilles but Pythagoras, Socrates, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, people like that. _After_ the 'mythical' age of Greece." Both Alex's eyebrows rose.

"And then they moved to Rome when the fire began to die there, and they were in Rome long enough to gain new names and aspects-" Alex held out a hand.

"Hold up- what?"

"They had new names," Annabeth explained patiently. "Jupiter, Minerva, Mars…" She trailed off.

"I got that part, that's the reason why they're always addressed by two names, one in brackets in the mythology books, but new aspects?"

"New personas," Jason interjected. "A flip-side to them, as you will. Like Ares, the Greek war god, he was all brutal war and chaos in the Greek side of things-" "You're telling me," Percy muttered. "But with the Roman side of him- Mars- he was more disciplined, more purposeful. He didn't want chaos without purpose, he wanted to go for something, a goal, an aim. Mars was also more into battle strategy than Ares."

"So essentially," Alex paused. "They're the same god? But it's not just a name-change, it's them that's changed?"

"Yep." Percy nodded. "Mount Olympus was in Rome for quite a while. And then they moved, like they always do-"

"Even though the beliefs died out," Alex muttered.

"And the gods moved from everywhere- the most politically and culturally dominant country in the west: Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Britain and eventually the United States."

"Interesting." Alex's eyes narrowed. "And do they have German, French and American aspects too? Do they keep changing- permanently?"

"No, there's only the Greek and Roman aspects, and they can change between that," Piper explained. "But some things… Well, they are the source of Western culture and civilisation so…"

"Jupiter, or Zeus, likes pinstripe suits," Jason suggested sheepishly. He ran a hand through his hair. "That's a trait they might've absorbed or, well, gave out. Though personally I don't know if my dad ever invented the suit or not."

"Your father is Zeus?" Alex looked at him.

"Jupiter, actually," Jason admitted. "He was in his Roman form when he sired me. He was in his Greek form when he had my sister."

"So you're either Greek or Roman demigods?" He looked at the rest of them.

"Greek," Annabeth stated. "My mom's Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy."

Alex looked at her strangely. "She's a maiden goddess."

Annabeth winced. "Let's just say… I wasn't born using traditional methods."

"Best not to ask," Percy muttered under his breath.

"My father's Poseidon," Percy said. "The god of the sea."

"My mother's Aphrodite," Piper explained. "Greek goddess of love and beauty."

"So you're all Greek." Alex absorbed that in silence. He looked at Jason. "What's a Roman doing with Greeks?"

Jason flushed. "Let's just say, I decided to stick with them."

Alex noted how Piper and Jason lingered closely together and had no more questions on that matter.

"I take it you aren't experienced in gunfights," he said slowly. "So, you're- what- used to wielding more traditional weapons?"

"Yeah." Percy took out a ballpoint pen which he uncapped. "This is Riptide." He said as it grew into a glowing bronze sword.

Jason took out his gladiolus. "Gold." Alex said casually.

" _Imperial_ Gold." Jason corrected. "Otherwise known as Enchanted gold."

"Apparently, they're all special." Alex nodded towards Percy's sword. "'Cause if that's an ordinary bronze sword it wouldn't have stood a chance against so many weapons, particularly ordinary steel and iron. It's not a copper, tin and lead alloy, is it? Nobody makes bronze these days."

"It's Celestial Bronze," Percy stated. "Mined from Olympus." Annabeth put in.

"I see. Celestial metals, provided for by the Greek- and Roman- gods?" He looked grim.

"Yeah." Percy looked suspiciously at him. He _did_ save their lives, and they did lead him to trouble, but even though he didn't want to push it. "How'd you know so much about this anyway? You seem so…"

"Experienced? Accepting, almost completely aware?" Alex turned to him. "I've realised that, Percy Jackson."

There was a slight emphasis he placed on Percy's name which made Percy wonder if he'd imagined it. It was almost as if he had been _expecting him._

"Yeah," now it was Annabeth's turn to look suspicious. "You don't seem at all surprised. In fact, you did say that you suspected this."

Alex looked away. "I've been waiting for several years," he said slowly. "Looking over my back. Watching, waiting for them to come back. I wasn't always a soldier in the Irish forces. Normally they wouldn't even accept cadets as young as me, but my mentor put in a few good words, made it sound beneficial for me and for everyone and they let me in."

"Who was your mentor?" She was almost too afraid to ask.

"Where is he now?"

"He's dead." Alex said flatly. "Like most of my family. They're in the cemetery."

Annabeth winced. "I'm sorry," Piper said softly.

"He adopted me," Alex said. "Gave me his surname. I wasn't always a McDermott. My surname was O'Brien once."

"You were adopted?" Piper asked quietly. "After trying to leave a few foster homes, yeah." He stated.

Jason froze. "Did… Did he know about the Greek gods?"

"No. And neither did I. I thought it was the ramblings of some sadistic lunatic."

"What _sadistic lunatic?"_

Alex went silent. "I don't know what it was like for you in America," he said slowly. "But I sure hope it was easier.

"I didn't believe that guy," Alex admitted. "I didn't want to. He was insane, and like I said, sadistic. But I suppose that's why you never found me. _They_ taught me to stay under the radar at least."

"Who's they?" Percy asked, but Alex had turned away.

"You should go back to America," he stated. "Warn your camp- someone's after you- and if he's after me, then he's clearly after demigods as well."

* * *

 _Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, Roosevelt Island, United States of America…_

Director Nick Fury studied the file ahead of him.

Bombings, explosions, and yet HYDRA had yet to claim responsibility or steal anything… Expensive, as to put it.

Only these guys. Always these guys. A group of armed teenagers, with blurry images, barely decipherable but they were able to trace them with JARVIS' help.

And recently, they'd been spotted in Ireland.

In the company of another young man.

The door opened. "You asked to see me, Director?" Agent Maria Hill looked at him expectantly.

Nick Fury sighed. "Send in the Avengers," he sighed. "Get in contact with Tony Stark."

* * *

 **To summer164: thank you. I was somewhat inexeprienced as compared to now, and when writing the Second Trojan War, I did plenty of things I really shouldn't have. Hopefully now I can do better.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah, this chapter's a bit long, but it's worth it.**

 **To Matt: Uh, actually, that wasn't Leo and Calypso. But I love the way you called him the Mortal King of Paranoia- suits him! ;)**

 **And I actually forgot to put up disclaimers- GASPS, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! But oh well:**

 **I don't own PJO/HoO. And I also don't own Avengers or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. That's Rick Riordan and Percy Jackson.**

* * *

 _Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York…_

Nico di Angelo grinned for once as he swung his training sword.

Usually very few were brave enough to practice him. He didn't have the same easy-going air as Percy did, and thus not everyone felt at ease around him. He knew he had a terrifying aura about him, though people did know that he wasn't going to hurt them, an instinct always taught them to fear him. Plus, when he did use his real sword- which felt great- it was made of Stygian Iron, the stuff of pure nightmare.

Nico swung the training sword- it didn't feel as good as his real one- and slashed down a few dummies. Stuffing spilled onto the ground. He tossed it back on the rack. Enough was enough. Nico wiped sweat from his brow.

He grabbed a drink bottle from nearby and too a long swig. Casting his eyes around, he wondered if Percy, Jason, Annabeth and Piper should be back by now.

 _Four Heroes of Olympus,_ he wondered. _Why would they need_ four _of the Heroes for this one pick-up mission?_

Frowning, Nico replaced the cap on the bottle, and decided to head to the Big House after he showered.

It was the first week of summer and campers were heading back, from school, homes and vacation, but even those were risky. Nico barely left camp unless on a quest or when he went to the Underworld. With a Big Three aura like him… The problem was, the whole world was out there, even with man-eating monsters just ready for demigod snacks, and people just want to _live._ They want to do something with their lives before they hurry to the Land of the Dead.

He was getting worried. Just what was taking them so long?

A little over a month ago, there had been an invasion in New York. Not a monster kind- well, maybe, but not the ones they were used to. An alien kind.

Yeah, aliens existed. Go figure.

Apparently, some Athena kids had theorised long ago, that magic and science may be the same thing- only that mortals were just beginning to grasp it whereas the supernatural have had their abilities for quite a long time now.

But they were beginning to grasp it. Last Nico heard from Hades, his not-so-lovable Uncle Zeus had been furious up there on Olympus. He wasn't the only one. Not only had they attacked Manhattan- the demigods were expressly forbidden from defending it. None of the Greek gods were. Why? Because two gods were already fighting in that battle, one on each side, and they weren't from the Greco-Roman pantheon.

In fact, one of them was Thor, a Norse god of Lightning and Thunder, another was Loki, Norse god of Mischief, and reportedly Evil too. Which was why they couldn't fight in it. The mortals were all aware of the existence of gods and monsters now, which was why the Greeks were so furious.

What astounded Nico the most wasn't the existence of other pantheons of gods. He was aware that his mother Maria had been a Roman Catholic, though she never forced neither him nor Bianca to share her faith. The other demigods were shell-shocked as it was, though Percy and Annabeth kept strangely quiet all the while. They had started hammering questions, not understanding how all these different gods of the same things like the sun, moon, wisdom, poetry, love, the dead, the weather and all that could 'share power and territory'. How in the world did that manage to coexist with science?

But what astounded and alarmed Nico was the way the mortals reacted to it: they were excited, panicked, and most concerning of all: they filed it away. Huge government organisations made itself known like S.H.I.E.L.D and terrorist groups like HYDRA which made its living on picking out and hunting down supernatural stuff that mortals weren't supposed to find out or sneaking weapons and other stuff behind their backs and experimenting with it, like HYDRA was rumoured to do (Chiron had good contacts). They still didn't know everything S.H.I.E.L.D and HYDRA did and how much the United States government- among everyone else- knew about the supernatural world at large- but Zeus was furious at them for a reason.

For giving the mortals a chance to expose them. Nico looked grim despite the beautiful, sunny day, as he strode over to where Chiron sat in his wheelchair-bound form.

"Chiron." He greeted the centaur trainer. Chiron gave him a wan smile. "What's the news from Olympus?"

Chiron arched his eyebrow. "My boy, what makes you think that I have any news from Olympus these days?"

Nico wanted to laugh. As it so happened, he gave his mentor a small smile. "Well, usually there are news from Olympus these days, especially since…" He trailed off. He didn't need to mention that again.

"Yes," Chiron's expression darkened. "Zeus is very angry. In fact, he grows worse by the minute. Emergency meetings are held in Olympus every three hours, it seems, and even your father has complained incessantly about going. Olympus grows closer and closer to waging direct war with Asgard."

Nico glanced up at the sky. Nothing. A beautiful sunny day. Or maybe with all those meetings, Zeus hadn't gotten to the weather just yet. Or maybe he wasn't rash or stupid enough to do anything that would make mortals even more curious and suspicious than they already were. If they hadn't figured out about the existence of Greek gods yet, they would soon enough. It was only a matter of when.

"But Thor saved New York- and earth- from destruction." Nico pointed out.

"Yes, and prevented the Olympians from defending their own turf," Chiron put in. "It was part of a treaty agreed by differing and warring pantheons of gods millennia ago, if even one god from a certain pantheon shows up in a certain place, no other gods from a different pantheon would follow. That rule has kept us safe and the destructive conflicts of the gods in check for as long as the treaty has existed. Besides, they also agreed not to show one another to mortals in territories other than their own. Manhattan was Olympian ground. And not one, but _two_ Norse gods trespassed." Chiron shook his head. "This was the very reason why we could not allow you to partake in defending New York. The Mist itself had been lowered by Loki before he allowed his invasion to commence- goodness, not even the Mist could disguise a big, green roaring rage monster that mutated from an ordinary human." Chiron shook his head. "Loki attacked Olympian ground. Loki tried to invade this world via Manhattan-"

Nico frowned. "Why is that?" He asked. He didn't know where Norse god central was, but he doubted it was New York. "Why New York?"

Chiron sighed. "To that, we may only speculate. But even though Odin claims Asgard had nothing to do with his wayward son's doings, the trust between the gods of Olympus and Asgard is broken. Zeus will neither trust, nor correspond with him any longer." Nico's frown deepened. That was _so_ like his uncle.

Nico's mother Maria had been killed in 1941, just after the Great Prophecy about the next Big Three demigod to reach sixteen appeared. Hades had delayed in sending Nico and his sister Bianca to camp, because he'd feared they'd be turned against their father or worse, imprisoned and even killed. In fact, he'd intended to send them to the Lotus Hotel and Casino with their mother as soon as they could, but Zeus had shot his Masterbolt at the hotel in which they were staying in Washington, killing their mother and a building-full of mortals. When Percy was twelve, Zeus' Masterbolt had been stolen, and as Poseidon had recently claimed him as his son, he instantly blamed Percy for the theft. Olympus would have had civil war if Percy, Annabeth and Grover hadn't managed to return the bolt by the Summer Solstice.

 _Paranoia_ didn't even define it. And if this was how things were within the family, Nico had no doubt that Zeus would behave even worse when another pantheon crossed the line. He asked: "Did Thor tell the Avengers about us?"

Chiron shook his head. "Not as far as we know. I doubt he would be foolish enough to do such a thing. It was bad enough that the attack that occurred on Olympian soil involved two Norse gods- one attacking, the other defending, as it may be- but we were prevented from defending Olympus itself. Furthermore, with the Mist down, even temporarily, I fear it is only a matter of time before the mortals discover our existence."

 _My thoughts precisely,_ Nico thought sourly.

"So, what shall we do?" He asked.

"What _can_ we do?" Chiron sounded surprised. "The mortals may expect unusual things to happen soon, but it does not mean that we can go charging to New York any time soon. Besides, your uncle Zeus isn't the only one mad with Asgard right now: the Egyptian gods also weren't pleased. Brooklyn was their territory."

Nico was surprised when he said that. Brooklyn? "How does that work?" He looked at him in disbelief. "It's weird enough that Greek and Roman gods are in America, but in the same _city?_ Manhattan _and_ Brooklyn?" He stared. "Last I heard anyway, the Egyptian gods were in, well, Egypt. I know Olympus moves around with the heart of Western Civilisation, but what about Egypt? Why America?"

Chiron sighed. "You aren't the first person to ask this question, but as of now, the Egyptian gods prefer to keep their secret- along with any other pantheon that does exist. Some have faded, not unlike Pan." Nico tried not to wince at the mention of the god he had seen fade.

"Wait- whole _pantheons_ of gods have _faded?"_ He asked softly. Chiron nodded, and Nico looked stunned. "That doesn't sound so good."

"No," the trainer of heroes agreed. "So far, only a few remain. Of all of them, I cannot tell you, all gods guard their knowledge most closely. But the Egyptians and the Greeks are among them."

Nico absorbed this in silence. "So, that's why so few of us are allowed to leave the camps," he realised. "But what about Percy, Jason, Annabeth and Piper? What reason did you have for sending them on a quest now?" What could possibly be so big and serious that they were sent on a quest at this time?

Chiron's dark eyes met his own. "With the Mist's sometime failure, we have been alerted to the existence of a Greek demigod such as that we have never seen before. Not even his godly parent has been aware of his existence, until recently. It came as a shock to all of us."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "How could they not have been aware of their own son's existence before?" The gods weren't the most present of parents, but they were aware of their kids' existence, at least when they came to camp.

"We do not know." Chiron confessed. "Only that he has an aura that is powerful indeed. Furthermore, with the mortals having been made aware of the undisputed existence of the supernatural in general, we thought it wise to send none other than four of Olympus' greatest heroes- especially as we would be fetching this demigod from overseas."

Now Nico was surprised indeed. "Another Big Three demigod?" He even sounded surprised to his own ears. "Where?"

"We cannot know for certain that he is the child of the three Elder gods," Chiron corrected gently. "Not even the gods- Olympian or Minor- know whose child he is." Nico gave him a bemused look. "Only that he appears very powerful indeed."

Nico didn't know what to think. "They don't know whose son he is?" He demanded. "Do they even know if he's Roman or Greek? What if he's another pantheon's?"

Chiron looked weary. "They believe he's either Greek or Roman, which is why they've sent Percy, Jason, Annabeth and Piper there to see him. In any case, Zeus does not wish for any more… unexpected developments. Not with all this-" Chiron waved his hand in the air. "Going on."

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Tony Stark held up his hands, dramatically. "You want us to go after… A bunch of kids?"

Silence and a pregnant pause.

Fury sighed. "I know how it sounds-" _"Do_ you?" Tony interjected. "And if they're juvenile delinquents, why is this a case for S.H.I.E.L.D?" Clint Barton interrupted.

The Avengers- minus Thor- were gathered in the Triskelion.

"These aren't ordinary teenagers," Fury said darkly. "They're under suspect for terrorism."

"Terrorism?" Steve spoke up. "Sounds like a serious accusation." He frowned.

Natasha frowned. "Director, I don't understand. Normally HYDRA doesn't have any qualms about using kids as young as teens, but not unless they're enhanced and well-trained. Are they, in any way, affiliated with HYDRA?"

Fury shook his head. "Not that we know of. But as of yet, we don't know much. Only snippets of information. They may be enhanced, they may be mutants. We don't know.

"All we know is that there is a disturbing pattern here," Fury said slowly. "These kids have a few things in common." He paused. "Do you remember the events of August 18th 2009?"

The Avengers looked at each other.

"You mean when that one-helluva freak storm that appeared a year after the explosion in Mount Saint Helens, made it all the way from Washington to the Hudson River?" Tony asked. "And the riots, possibly thanks to terrorists, gangs or the Mafia- or all three at once- using guns, tear gas, bazookas, rifles and Molotov Cocktails that appeared in front of the Empire State Building?" Bruce Banner frowned.

"And when countless people in New York lost consciousness just beforehand, when a chemical plant leaked gas for about a week," Natasha frowned at the memory. She was in Washington at that time. "The fires in the apartments, the street fights- the army being called in?" She looked at the others and back at Fury. "What about them?"

"Take a look at this," Agent Maria Hill walked forwards. "And what most of you don't know while that _big fight_ was raging in New York, in front of the Empire State Building, there was another big riot near Mount Tamalpais in San Francisco. And it looks like they're connected."

"By who?" Steve asked.

"By these guys." She switched on a remote.

Fury sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Normally I would never do this, but take a look at these files." He insisted.

A visual popped out of nowhere in front of them.

"Chris Rodriguez, son of Elena Rodriguez and an unnamed father, born: 1992, Los Angeles, California. Went in and out of foster homes, his mother was an alcoholic, had an abusive boyfriend who didn't really like the kid, so he kept running away. Eventually, when some doctor at a free clinic checked out the injuries at his back, the social workers took him away. He was a troubled kid- reports of truancy in school, theft, public vandalism and even a gang getting hold of him, though nothing- if anything- was actually proven. He moved foster homes a lot. When he was almost nine, he went back into another foster home- only to disappear for good. His mother died not long after. Been seen since in and around New York, including during those mysterious attacks in August 18th 2009. He was in the street fight, and reports have it, he's been using weapons." That was Agent Maria Hill.

"Clarisse La Rue. Born 1992, Phoenix, Arizona. Daughter of Jerry La Rue and an unnamed father. Kicked out of schools, had a reputation for being the toughest kid on the block- if not the whole city. Got kicked out of school, particularly when her mother was away on tour of duty." Steve looked surprised. "The mother was a tough disciplinarian as well as an army mother. But she wasn't always there, so Clarisse went through some pretty tough times, bullies, rumours of harassment and abuse, gangs and drug cartels made her life a living hell. She left home at around fourteen. Eventually seen in and around on New York, particularly during August 18th 2009. She was in the street fight with Chris Rodriguez and the others." An image of a tall, buff, but not-bad-looking girl with brown hair, and- no, that wasn't Greek armour, that was a gang jacket, hat and a baseball cap, appeared in front of the Empire State building.

A blurry image of a Hispanic boy, around 6'2, with black hair, zoomed forwards next. The image of him was strangely blurred, like it looked like he was wearing something bronze and metallic over his shirt and interesting headgear. At first, he thought that it looked like the kid was wearing Greek armour, which was ridiculous, but he blinked and it looked like he was wearing some goth-punk metal-studded leather jacket, and baseball cap. The weapon in his arms blurred, at times Tony could barely make out a baseball bat.

"Seen in and around central New York, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, and a few other places too." Maria Hill continued. "Often together, Chris and Clarisse." The next one popped up.

"Travis and Connor Stoll, brothers, not twins, but near-identical. Travis is the taller and older one. Expelled from schools, rumours of petty theft, and pranks but they've never actually been caught- nothing's been proven. Born to Maria Stoll and an unnamed father-" Steve frowned as he heard this. More kids from broken homes that ended up in legal trouble. It was sick, maddening just to think about it. These dads could have easily avoided it by staying at home. But what did S.H.I.E.L.D have to do with them? Surely, they can't have done anything serious- can they?

"Born 1993 and 1994, respectively. In and out of schools, mother was killed in a terrible accident, and they ran away from their foster homes. Haven't been seen since, but they were definitely there on that August 18th, in Manhattan, New York."

Two mug-shots of grinning near-identical boys with sharp noses, upturned eyebrows and mischievous grins appeared. They had a twinkle in their eyes, and Steve would've pegged them as pranksters, not criminals.

"Leonidas 'Leo' Valdez, born Houston, Texas, in 1994. The son of Esperanza Valdez and an unnamed father." Steve nearly scowled when he heard that again and even Tony didn't look too pleased. "Reports surrounding the boy was that he was prone to 'fire accidents' in other words, there were rumours about a crazy baby-sitter but no one ever identified her, not even the Mexican-American community which they were a part of. He was part of a large extended family, but there was a fire in his mother's workshop- she was a mechanic. Only the boy survived, it's never been proven but the family- or rather, his aunt Rosa, blamed him. So, they took him to foster care, he kept running away. Last time he was seen on official government records was during December 17th 2009, during a school trip- the school's called the Wilderness School-" "Nice," Tony snorted. "And they went over to the Grand Canyon. Three students disappeared- and we're going to see them right now."

There was a picture of a Hispanic boy who looked like some Latino Santa's elf. He had dark, curly hair, a cheerful, impish grin, and even pointy ears. He also looked kind of scrawny. He looked like he was undergoing a crazy caffeine overdose.

"Jason Grace, born 1994, in Los Angeles, California. Born to Beryl Grace, a TV actress-" Tony gasped. "Man- I remember her! Had a crush on her when I was a kid!" Maria Hill ignored him and Fury gave him a killing look. "And an unnamed father. Mother was an alcoholic, she left the kids at home so she could party all night. Often ended up in the tabloids, back then. So, evidence suggests that he was looked after by his elder sister, Thalia was born in 1987. Last seen by his family in 1996, when his sister reported him missing after her mother decided to take the kids on a rare vacation to Sonoma Valley.

"According to the girl, Thalia, their mother told her to get a picnic basket from the car and she didn't want to leave her little brother alone with her mom, but she did as she was told. When she came back, the kid had gone. She reported him missing to the police, but the mom didn't do anything." Most of the Avengers looked stunned by this revelation. "They questioned her, but found no evidence. Afterwards, neighbours claim to have heard mother and daughter arguing for quite some time. The next day, Thalia disappeared. Evidence suggests she just ran away from home. Had enough of her mom's alcoholism and neglect. Or probably went to look for her brother. She was seen in various places in the United States, in the company of two other kids, one Luke Castellan then-aged fourteen, and another Annabeth Chase, then-aged seven. It looked like they were looking after the little girl and the three of them were living rough on the streets." The Avengers winced.

"In 2005, their mother Beryl Grace died in a car accident. She was drunk and collided into a truck. It appeared that she sunk fast after her children disappeared. Nobody saw Thalia again until December 15th 2007, two years after her mother died and six years since she was last seen in public. But they _did_ see Jason Grace. He was in and around various parts of North America, particularly around San Francisco. Remember what I said about a mysterious riot taking place there, a fight between gangs in San Francisco as well as New York? He was there, during August 18th 2009. Him and a group of other kids were involved in a fight of some kind." Blurry images of a blond-haired boy wearing- wait, was that Roman armour? Nah, it looked like some gang get-up.

"Thalia Grace, on the other hand, was in _Manhattan_ during that same day, in front of the Empire State building- she was seen running into the building with a group of other kids, more on that later." A black-haired punk-styled girl in silver and black was seen in the blurry images of the chaos in front of the Empire State Building. "She was also seen around various parts of North America, but it's strange, she doesn't look that much older. She should be in her twenties by now, but lately she's been looking younger than her little brother. She _was_ born in 1987."

The Avengers absorbed all this in silence.

"Piper McLean, born 1994, Los Angeles, California. Father: Tristan McLean, Mother unknown." Now _this_ was a surprise. But only a little bit.

"Tristan McLean?" Bruce Banner sounded impressed, and Tony gave a small whistle. "Love that guy. Great actor, good parties." He also looked impressed.

"Reports have it that ever since her father found stardom, she's largely been living alone around Beverly Hills, or some kind of boarding school." Tony winced at that. "Got expelled, rumours have it of theft, but other rumours said that she just sweet-talked them into giving her stuff like a car, a diamond ring, even a lawnmower." "Sweet-talked?" That was Tony. "Last seen on December 17th 2009, when she went to the Wilderness School's fateful field trip at the Grand Canyon where the storms struck. Rumour has it they and one other student plummeted to their deaths, but it was never confirmed, and clearly, she's still alive. Tristan McLean disappeared not long after, and it's rumoured that his daughter's kidnappers offered him a ransom and he was on his way to save her. His assistant, Jane covered up his disappearance and was promptly fired not long after he came back. He returned with amnesia, his daughter suffered a similar case, but no one's ever confirmed it or seen her. She's been seen with Jason Grace and Leo Valdez, typically around America and Canada, but also in Rome, Italy and Greece. She was also with a bunch of other kids. More on them now.

"Annabeth Chase, born 1993, Virginia. Father: Frederick Chase. Mother: unknown. Has a stepmother and two half-siblings. Family in Boston: an uncle named Randolph Chase and an aunt named Natalie Chase, who died fairly young in another mysterious accident-" Hill, Fury and Steve frowned simultaneously. "Natalie's son went missing and he was confirmed to have died years later in a brutal beating against homeless kids in Boston- only reports suggest that a similar-looking guy was found not long afterwards, though they buried him.

"Annabeth ran away from home when she was seven. According to social workers and police, she, her father and stepmother didn't get along. They claimed she said that things started attacking her, but they didn't know what it was, and thought she was lying." "She was probably telling the truth." Steve interjected. The others, even Fury, agreed. "She was seen a few years later, when she was around nine or ten." Maria continued. "But mostly she was unseen until June 11th 2006 when she appeared on a bus with two other adolescents, in New Jersey, just before the vehicle exploded. She was also in the Saint Louis Arch, bsarely managing to get out on June 14th, just before _that_ exploded. Photographed at a diner with her companions and a leather-clad biker in Denver, Colorado, and then entering a Casino in Las Vegas on June 15th, popping back out on June 20th, five days later. She was also in LA at that time, seen at some streets, rescued by some life guards, when she mysteriously popped up off the coast of the Santa Monica Pier. Turns out she was kidnapped, but more on that later." There was a picture of a rather lovely girl with blonde hair, stormy grey eyes and a calculating look about her.

"Perseus 'Percy' Jackson, born 1993. Mother: Sally Jackson, Father: Unknown. Stepfather: Gabe Ugliano, deceased." _"Ugliano?"_ Tony said in disbelief. "New stepfather: Paul Blofis. His mother took him out of kindergarten when they found a snake in his crib that he slept in for a nap."

"Whoa, you _serious?"_ Clint Barton choked. As a father with kids… "And during third grade, teachers reported a man in a trench coat stalking Percy to the playground. They threatened to call police- which they eventually did- but his mother moved Percy to a different school anyway." "Nice to hear about a caring mother for once," Steve muttered. The others agreed. "During a fourth-grade school trip, the class took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World Shark Pool. He accidentally hit a lever and the class took an unplanned swim." Guffaws and snickers went around. Only Natasha, Hill and Fury kept their composure. Despite the gravity of their situation, even Steve cracked a smile. "Fifth grade, he was in a different school and they took another field trip to the Saratoga battlefield. He had an accident with a revolutionary canon which landed on the school bus and he got expelled. Luckily, no one was on board." Tony chortled heartily, and Bruce and Clint struggled to hide smiles. "Sixth grade, he disappeared. His mother and he took a trip to the beach in Montauk in May 2006, after he got expelled from his latest school. They disappeared, and the family's Camaro was found in Long Island, looked like it had been smashed. Rumours suggest they had been kidnapped, Percy's stepfather Gabe was quick to point suspicions onto his stepson-" "Sounds like a nice dude," Clint muttered. "And he was seen on Barbara Walters, where our analysts pointed out his tears of grief were actually fake. He said the boy was a delinquent, probably in a gang and addicted to drugs and alcohol. Our analysts said he was lying."

"Wow, he was a really nice stepdad," Clint said sarcastically. Even Natasha looked disgusted. "Seen with Annabeth Chase on the bus in New Jersey on June 11th, with one other adolescent. Strange, because reports suggest that they'd never met before. Disappeared when the bus blew up. Appeared again in the Saint Louis Arch- reports had it that he was actually there in the arch, and plummeted to his death in the Mississippi." Tony, Steve and Bruce looked alarmed. "But he was later seen in June 14th in Denver, Colorado, with Annabeth and their friend, and the mysterious biker, then on June 15th in Las Vegas he entered that casino with Annabeth Chase and their friend."

"Any ID on their friend?" Steve asked. "Or the mysterious biker?" Natasha suggested. Maria shook her head. "None whatsoever.

"June 20th, they left. Ended up in LA on the same day, like I said, they were in the Santa Monica Pier, they disappeared, in some alleyway in Hollywood, and then reappeared off the beach, took a few lifeguards to fish them out. Then they were spotted by the same leather-clad man whom witnesses claim they'd actually seen on the bus in New Jersey and the Saint Louis Arch. Police appeared on the scene, during a gunfight between Percy Jackson and this unknown man. That man shot a bullet at a police car and accidentally hit a gas main that ruptured during the earthquake on the same day, not two hours before. He disappeared, no word on him and who he was, but apparently, the kids were kidnapped by this guy. He went back to New York with his friends, and his stepfather went missing on the same day."

Clint frowned. "Probably had a hand in the kidnapping, if I could guess. Made a run for it." Natasha agreed with him. "The next year, he enrolled in Merriweather Prep School, and on the last day of term, during a dodgeball game, the gym exploded. He disappeared on the scene with a friend- a homeless kid they took in for the year. Seen in Miami Beach on June 18th 2007, apparently being accosted by a group of thugs who forcibly took them on board a cruise ship-" "Probably the Mafia," Natasha suggested, and Clint agreed. "Well, they escaped and made it back to Long Island. Was seen in Westover Hall with Thalia Grace- who appeared after six years' disappearance- and Annabeth Chase on December 15th 2007, where they disappeared with two kids: Bianca and Nico di Angelo- and reappeared in various places like San Francisco, including Mount Tamalpais. Seen in and around Mount Saint Helens during the time of the explosion the next year, and again on August 18th 2009, his sixteenth birthday, where he was in front of the Empire State Building with Annabeth and Thalia Grace, Chris Rodriguez and the Stoll brothers. Seen again in Mount Sonoma Valley and in San Francisco-"

"Where Jason Grace disappeared?" Steve interjected. Maria nodded grimly.

"Correct. But that was months later, _after_ the events in New York in August, on April 2010. Seen around Canada, Alaska, and finally back in San Francisco. Seen in Italy, Rome, and Greece _with_ Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Annabeth Chase and two others." She paused. "A series of attacks, earthquakes, explosions and a bunch of other things occurred."

The Avengers just stood there in silence.

"These kids…" Bruce trailed off. "They've got one thing in common."

"Broken homes," Clint frowned. "Abusive, absent and neglectful parents, or orphaned at an early age, in most cases. One parent unknown. Yet no reports on whether they've ever met before all this happened?" Natasha frowned, looking up at Hill. Maria shook her head. "Do they have any birth certificates, what do they say about their parents?" She pressed. She had a sinking feeling.

Maria Hill clicked on something else, and copies of birth certificates appeared out of nowhere. The names of the unknown parents were blank.

"There're more kids, but some we're finding hard to get- not all of them were born in the United States, so we'd have to make a deal with the Canadian government or someone else." Maria said apologetically.

"Right." Tony was still staring at the space where she turned off the screen. "So… These kids…"

"Sounds like they've had it rough," Steve remarked. He looked pointedly at Fury.

"Maybe," Fury conceded. "But that still doesn't explain why they were there whenever something bad happens. Explosions, riots, natural disasters, and they all walk away, untouched."

"We don't know that." Clint looked at him. "Remember when you said that they were accosted by a group of thugs and taken on board a cruise ship? And Jackson's first stepfather: Gabe Ugliano, anybody seen the guy since the kid arrived home after being kidnapped and rescued? I mean, he _did_ seem pretty fake, like you said, when he appeared on Barbara Walters and he was pretty quick to turn the kid into a suspect in their disappearances."

"Could be." Fury nodded gravely. "But we've searched for Gabe Ugliano, and the closest thing we could find to him is one _ugly_ statue of a poker player at an art gallery in Soho, courtesy of Sally Jackson." Tony snorted. "As far as we know, he's a gonner." He looked pointedly at Maria Hill.

"I'll get onto the other files, director." She walked out the door.

The minute the door closed, Fury looked at all the Avengers. "Percy Jackson is often seen in New York," He said with a deadly calm. "Now, I don't know what's going on, but it's our job to find out. Bring the kids in for questioning, if they're the cause of all those problems, it's going to take a lot more than the usual strike team to bring them to question them. Whatever's going on, we need to find out."

The Avengers looked at each other grimly. A picture of Percy Jackson popped up, of an incredibly handsome youth with wind-blown raven-black hair and sparkling green eyes.

* * *

 _Nearly an hour later…_

"Sir!" Maria Hill came forth. "You need to see this." She looked half-grim and half-astounded.

"Agent Hill?" Fury stood.

"I've found more files on their friends," Maria Hill looked breathless but she managed to rein her voice's composure. "And you're not gonna believe this." She looked pointedly at the Avengers.

"What?" Steve stood.

She threw down several hard-copy files. "Nico di Angelo, born 1932, Venice, Italy, to Maria di Angelo, daughter of a diplomat, and an unnamed father. Had a sister, Bianca, born in 1930. Lived there quite peacefully for some time until they decided to up-and-leave for Venice-on the day the Second World War broke out on September 1st 1939." Steve's eyes widened. "Reports suggest that their maternal grandfather had died by this time, yet they somehow reappeared- rather quickly- and booked into a hotel in Washington D.C under the name of 'Mr. di Angelo.'" The Avengers looked at each other and Fury's brow furrowed. "Their unnamed father?" He suggested.

"Could be." Maria shrugged. "Bianca and Nico were illegitimate and this was the 1930s-1940s. Not easy for a single mother to raise two children without the help and guidance of an Alpha male." She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Still, she didn't do too badly. It looks like they went for a holiday to Split, Croatia, when Nico was six and Bianca eight. No one ever saw a man with them, or even anyone claiming to be a close family member, but Maria di Angelo- in spite of having some kind of inheritance- was a stay-at-home mother.

"On December 4th 1941, the hotel exploded with Maria and the three children inside. They thought it was a gas explosion first, but they also entertained the possibility of an axis bombing." "But there weren't any bombings on American soil during the war, except in Pearl Harbour," Steve argued. Fury nodded. Maria shrugged. "Who knows? All we know is that she was confirmed as being among the dead, along with her children, but we never did find a burial site for any of them. But take a look at this."

She placed a series of photographs on the table, of an Italian family: a mother, and her two children, black-and-white, in the 1940s. It looked like any ordinary, happy family, just with the dad missing. The mother wore a veiled hat, gloves, pearls and a dress that looked fashionable in the 1940s. The kids were olive-skinned and had cheerful grins.

"In November 2007, the kids were seen in Las Vegas." She placed more photos of two Italian children walking out of a casino with a mysterious image of a blurry guy in a suit. The Avengers looked shocked, and so did Nicholas Fury.

"They look like they're the same age," Bruce said in disbelief." Maria Hill nodded. "Correct. And you know what else? That's the same hotel Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase ended up in and stayed from June 15th 2006 to June 20th." Some of them might have gasped.

Fury's one eye stared at her. "You can't be serious."

"I wish," she muttered. "By December 15th 2007, they had enrolled in Westover High- a military academy in Maine. No word on who paid for their tuition, but the teachers there don't seem to remember a single thing." Her brow furrowed. "As if they'd been mind-wiped." Fury and Natasha looked alarmed. "A few hours after they disappeared, the weather started acting funny." Fury and Natasha looked at her strangely. "There was a burnt ring of trees near the school. Cape Cod started freezing. New England started getting very, very warm." Fury's eyebrow rose incredulously. "Experts couldn't decide what in the world had happened. But this was on the same day the siblings disappeared.

"Bianca was seen with Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace and two other adolescents at the Smithsonian Museum on December 17th. It was after-hours, yet our cameras suggest that there had been some activity there. Particularly in the dinosaur section and the Air and Space section. They'd been followed too, a black sedan was seen approaching them, and a guy who looked military with a buzz cut and shades appeared."

Fury nearly scowled. "Did the United States military authorise any sort of activity at the Smithsonian at that time?"

Maria shook her head. "No."

"Mercenaries," Fury muttered in disgust. He leaned back against his chair.

"Yup, lots of them." She threw in more photos.

"There were a whole lot of people in camouflage and military gear- they also had equipment- good ones. Tanks, and several vehicles, trucks and a helicopter. The kids took a white van but they disappeared, stole a car."

Tony whistled. "Damn."

"No word on who those mercenaries work for?" Fury asked dangerously.

She shook her head again. "None. All we know is that they were chasing the kids. They took a train to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. They were attacked by the mercenaries, and photographed fighting them." The Avengers and Fury leaned forwards. A blurry photo of four kids fighting a group of trained, armed mercenaries… How the heck did they manage to hold them off? "Four of the kids were seen after a thick snowfall. Then the next thing they were in Gila Claw, Arizona on the same day." They blinked. "Spotted four of the kids going inside a coffee shop- which was weird, because it was supposed to be closed at that time. But a white limousine was seen and a mysterious leather-clad in a black leather jacket, buzz cut and shades stepped out- the images were blurry-" she scowled at that. "For some reason, they always have blurry pictures of these guys, even with the latest state-of-the-art technology- but facial recognition points that it's the same guy in the bus in 2006 with Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, the same guy with them in the Saint Louis Arch before it exploded, and the same guy in the gun fight trying to take out Percy Jackson in the Santa Monica Pier just after the earthquake, the one who caused an explosion."

"Their kidnapper," Steve said, motionlessly.

Maria looked grim. "He was pointing a gun at Percy and forced him into the limo. He didn't go in himself, and the car didn't drive off anywhere either, so I'm assuming that there was someone else inside who just wanted to talk."

Steve and Bruce's eyes darkened. So did Clint. "This guy had a boss," Clint said darkly.

"My thoughts precisely," Maria murmured. "Percy got out of the car, the friends arrived back in the coffee shop, the kidnapper went inside, but for the life of me, I can't try to get those CCTV cameras or our own satellite imagery to track down that same limo and where it went that day." She looked frustrated.

Steve shook his head. This… This was almost too much to comprehend. "What else happened?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"They went to a junkyard there, and some kind of maintenance disaster happened. I tried sending agents to investigate, but they didn't find a junkyard- which was odd, because there was a junkyard years ago, cameras showed it but no one spotted it. It was in the desert, and for some reason, Bianca di Angelo was never seen again after that."

They all looked stunned. It sounded like the kids were either runaways, school drop-outs, hooligans, criminals, mutants, enhanced, tied with gangs or the mafia, or they simply had really, really, bad luck. But one thing could not be disputed: they were survivors. After all that, this… Was beyond shocking.

"Five went into that junkyard in the desert, but only four were seen after that," Maria continued softly. "That was the last time anybody ever saw Bianca di Angelo. They were spotted at Hoover Dam, and looked like those mercenaries caught up to them. But they escaped and somehow, during a gun fight, made it to San Francisco. They first went to the docks, where Percy Jackson got geared up in a homeless guy's clothing-" Tony laughed. "And wrestled a homeless guy, which was strange because he was seen going to the beach, wrestling a killer whale." They gave her odd looks. "Next they went to Annabeth Chase's parents' house-" Fury and the Avengers looked surprised. "And it looks like Frederick Chase actually lent them a car."

Bruce frowned. "How old were they?"

"Percy Jackson was fourteen at that time, and we still don't know the exact ages of Thalia Grace, and Bianca and Nico di Angelo." Maria replied dryly. "If anything they look the same as they were last seen decades ago."

Fury's lips thinned and Steve looked like he had been struck.

"Anyway, they headed to Mount Tamalpais, but they hurried out of the car, and it exploded not long after." She frowned. "No one knows how. But there was a thick fog around the mountain and we lost all visual on them."

"No idea what could have happened at that time?" Steve asked.

"None, only a ship and it looked like some kind of organisational gathering- or a military drill- were seen, and a Sopwith Camel- a World War One fighter plane-" she shook her head in disbelief. "Of all things- was pictured flying towards them raining bullets on the forces below." They gawked at her.

"Afterwards, scientists confirmed that a new _constellation_ appeared in the sky." Another picture. This one was of the night sky with lines etching out the figure of a girl made out of stars. She carried a traditional bow and arrow and looked like she was running.

Fury was silent as he contemplated the picture. "I remember that," Banner mused. "Scientists were all going crazy, wondering why we never discovered this before- it could only mean it was new, but how? Stars take around 10 million years to form." He sounded amazed.

Fury shook his head. "Bombings, earthquakes, mafia, gang riots, armies of mercenaries and now constellations..."

"Is there anything these kids _haven't_ been through?" Natasha asked.

The Avengers all looked… Beyond shocked. So did Fury.

"Maria, send a team of agents to investigate that hotel Jackson, the di Angelos and their friends stayed at," Fury ordered. "That might still be in operation."

"I thought kids weren't supposed to be in casinos until they turn eighteen," Tony pointed out. He picked up the picture of the di Angelo children walking out of the hotel. "But this guy- whoever he was- doesn't look like a fed or a social worker."

For once he was talking sense, Fury's eyebrows shot up in amazement. "We'll question the staff, find out who was there," he ordered. "And I need to know details about the rest of these teens. Send another group to Hollywood, Tristan McLean's house, and another to Beryl Grace's former agency- or cast members. She was a famous TV star, been in a lot of good shows, see if you can find if her co-stars, the producers and directors know anything about how her relationship with her children."

"Yes, sir." Maria Hill nodded. "Percy Jackson's our main concern," he told the Avengers. "Him and his closest friends. Until we get a lead on where he- and the rest of them are- stay put, and be careful. With all this craziness going on, people are just starting to accept that the supernatural does exist. And that could be a good thing or bad."

Clint wanted to snort, but Fury had a point. There were plenty of conspiracy theories pointed at S.H.I.E.L.D and the government, saying that this was all just an elaborate hoax to get people to trust them. Now that they'd started to accept the existence of gods and aliens, people were getting excited and a little-too curious. "We'll get onto it, director." Steve promised.

* * *

"So, I'm assuming with this whole the-supernatural-exists-thing going around in mortals of today's society, government agents are keeping tabs on people who look suspicious- or have suspicious histories," Alex announced as he rifled through the safes.

Percy, Jason, Annabeth and Piper looked at each other and sighed simultaneously. "You could say that," Piper admitted.

"Right. It's a pain," Jason confessed.

"'Course it is." Alex muttered. "You're not the only ones who've tried to stay hidden for as long as you've suspected something funny was going on in your world." He brought out several packs. "We're going to need to evade regular mortals along with the supernatural. I'm assuming that you can't hurt them with your weapons." He nodded at their concealed weapons.

"Yeah," Percy sighed. "We can't hurt them. They'd just pass through."

"Interesting." Alex unrolled the pack on the table. Inside were a variety of-

" _WHAT?!"_ The four of them yelped. "Shotguns? _Rifles?_ You want us to use these?" Percy yelped again.

"Alex, I don't think we-" Jason began panicking, but Alex shook his head sternly.

"It's against the rules for us to harm any mortals," Annabeth whispered.

"No matter how obnoxious," Percy pointed.

"Those men that attacked us were mortals," Alex began. "I understand why you don't want to do this, really, I do, but right now, you don't have a choice. Because they weren't going to show any of us any mercy. Not all the shots you heard in the graveyard came from my gun. They aimed for me, and for you, and I could tell they weren't aiming to injure. They were trying to kill." He looked at each of them in the eyes. "You must trust me." He said slowly, but with great emphasis.

The four heroes looked at each other. "Alright, fine." Percy decided. "But I've never fired a shotgun before."

"Then use a regular handgun, and keep it hidden, until they're close enough so that you don't miss," Alex tossed them each an individual handgun. "These guys aren't going to play by the rules, you know. I'd suggest you keep that in mind the next time we see them."

" _If_ we see them," Percy and Jason muttered.

"Oh, I'm betting we'll see them," Alex smiled grimly. "At least once before we get to the airport. I don't have much with me-" he gestured to a pack. "And I hope you don't have much with you either, because the next flight to New York is at ten pm tonight. We'll need to lay low as well. Keep your weapons close."

"And how are we going to get them through security?" Piper demanded. "These are mortal weapons."

"We'll discard them just before we board." Alex said calmly. "I've got a few plans in case things go wrong."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "Care to share them with us?"

"I would, but we don't have the time." The gun clicked as he moved it in place. "We need to leave. And here-" he grabbed four pairs of gloves and cloths for wiping. "Wipe clean everything that you've touched in here- everything. No fingerprints, no prints of any kind. Strands of hair, blood- S.H.I.E.L.D knows about us, and I'm betting they're not the only ones to suspect us of having ties to the supernatural. I've booked tickets for J.F.K International Airport in New York. We need to hurry."

Jason stared at him. "Will you be coming back with us?"

Alex sighed. "Against my own wishes and better judgement… Yes. If these are mortals, it's likely you won't be able to make it pass them without the proper training." He gave them a look. "Though I certainly don't doubt your monster-fighting credentials." He said quickly enough.

* * *

 _Las Vegas, on the way to the Lotus Hotel and Casino…_

Skye looked only slightly annoyed, as did the others. Yeah, one of her first missions and it included this. Why were they going to some Casino in Las Vegas, anyway?

"So what's this hotel called?" She asked them.

"The Lotus Hotel and Casino," Melinda May said automatically.

"According to our files, Percy Jackson and his friends were seen entering the casino at June 15th 2006 and leaving at June 20th, five days later." Phil Coulson remarked. "And Nico and Bianca di Angelo were spotted leaving the casino around November 2007- sixty-six years after they were supposed to have died, in 1941." Leo Fitz explained.

"Wow." Skye blinked.

"Think they might've frozen them like Captain America?" Grant Ward asked, suspiciously.

"Perhaps." Was all Phil said as he drove.

"And I thought casinos don't let kids in until they're eighteen." Skye remarked, looking out the window.

"Yes, that's another concerning matter," Phil said calmly. "Another matter is that when Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and their mysterious friend left the hotel and casino five days after they arrived, they were photographed looking at a newspaper stand and… Well, they were shocked."

"Their line of vision points towards the date," Jemma called out from the back. "Wait, they didn't realise they were in there for five days?" Skye interrupted. She looked incredulous.

"It appears so," Phil was expressionless and kept his cool as always. "Which is why we're sending a strike team to back us up and take us out if we're in there for more than two hours."

Skye and Grant both looked relieved.

"Now let's get to it," he drove on.

* * *

"What do you think- should we invite Tristan McLean to a little party?" Tony asked.

Steve shot him a look. "Fury said to keep our heads down," Natasha reminded.

"Yeah, but when has that ever worked?" Tony shrugged carelessly. "Besides, it's no big deal. I throw parties all the time."

"Don't we know," Clint muttered. Steve agreed inwardly.

"So what's so different about throwing one around a month after I saved the world?" Tony shrugged again. "No biggie. Just a couple of movie stars, one of which includes the oh-so-amazing Mr. McLean- doubt he'll refuse, and we ask a few casual questions, like, _'how hard is it to balance kids with stardom?'_ I'm sure we can easily get some answers."

Steve opened his mouth to say it was a bad idea, but stopped. "Actually, that's a good idea," Bruce admitted. Clint agreed. He sat up. "So Tristan McLean… For what? Your 'We-saved-the-world-and-cleaned-up-the-mess-party?'" He suggested dryly. "Him and who else?" Natasha interjected.

"I don't know… Beryl Grace was in a few soaps, crime dramas, fantasy TV series, and Sci-fi, before she went all crazy." Tony shrugged. "Who was one of her co-stars? Someone she used to like?" He looked around.

"Tony, I thought _you_ were the one who had a crush on her," Bruce mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, I had a crush on everyone," Tony shrugged. "Until Pepper came into my life- no wait, even then it took a while."

"Jane McEwan." Clint shot his hand into the air and snapped his fingers. "Was one of Beryl Grace's friends, until they both had a fall-out. Starred together in _Atlantic City,_ seasons one to three. Before that Beryl was always the favourite star, the popular one. Then Jane went and landed herself a role in the big screen, and they stopped appearing in public together- mostly. They still ended up being photographed in premiers, but everyone could tell they weren't really happy with one another." He shrugged. "My wife was a fan of that show. She theorised that Beryl might've become jealous of Jane's success. Plus, she was out on maternity leave for a while- in 1987."

"Thalia," Natasha said automatically.

"She went out and partied quite a lot," Natasha looked up from a computer screen. "Beryl Grace. By this time, she'd had a kid and Jane was getting married. She didn't name the father of her baby girl, and no one showed up with her to premiers and celebrity functions, but not long after Jane McEwan got engaged and then married not long after landing her second role on the big screen. She had three kids, by the time Beryl's little boy, Jason was born. On all accounts, they were happily married, and still are. The kids are grown, now. No dramas, nothing." She looked up at them.

"Can't help thinking Beryl Grace must have found that hard to digest," Clint muttered. Tinseltown normally had a large case of divorces and breakups. Usually, he took no interest in celebrity's love-lives, but now this interfered with his line of duty. "And no one was seen with her around the time Jason and Thalia were conceived?"

"No one." Natasha shrugged. "After her little girl was born, gossip suggested that Beryl and Jane weren't getting along. Jane had visited their house, and neighbours heard arguing between the two women. Something about Jane not really approving the way Beryl raised her daughter. She left the house in a mood. She complained to social workers- and others- about the way Beryl left the children to their own devices- she was pregnant with her second child by this time- and said that she would drink and smoke while pregnant. Nothing's ever been proven and the kids were healthy. But it did look like they were underweight- and depressed. It seems like Thalia was learning how to clean herself up and her little brother. The children were sometimes looked after by nannies who complained about the same things. Other nannies complained that they got into a lot of trouble, even without meaning to. They didn't have a nanny by the time Jason disappeared when he was two, and Thalia ran away from home."

Clint shook his head in disgust. "Nice mom." Unbeknownst to the other Avengers, he was a father and thus, found it to be an anathema when parents willingly neglected and abandoned their children. No one could disagree with that sentiment.

"So, I'm sure Jane McEwan has plenty to say about. Beryl Grace." Tony insisted. He pressed a drink into Bruce's hand. "And I'm sure we might just figure out why Mr. McLean treated Piper the way he did, like sending her off to boarding school at the earliest opportunity." That was an anathema to _him._ Unfortunately, it was also a past experience. Tony had been sent off to boarding school by his Jack-(with a capital J)a** father.

"More important to our current task, the question on who was Beryl Grace's children's father," he continued. "And the mother of Piper McLean. We could also ask them about their relationship with each other, including Percy Jackson." He paused. "Think the Grace children might've had contact with Jane McEwan after they reappeared- in secret?"

Natasha shrugged. "Who knows? All we know is that they're our best leads. Technically Jackson's parents- his mother, new stepfather and half-sister- live in Manhattan, but Fury says, we can't do anything to tip things off."

Steve frowned. "What if Tristan McLean or Jane McEwan tips off his daughter? Or the Graces?"

"Or anyone of them," Clint pointed out.

"Well, it might just be a risk we'll have to take," Bruce said, nonchalantly. "When's this party Tony?"

"Two days," Tony announced. "I've already made the announcement. I'm inviting a whole bunch of people- including you guys, for, you know, charity purposes. Fancy dress, but, not too fancy. Invite a couple more movie stars, Victoria's secret models, five-star generals- _Rhodey."_ He rolled his eyes. "Anything to make this the party of the year."

Steve nearly dropped his head into his hands. _Oh_ Tony, he didn't need this. Not _now._ Knowing him, it was sure to be one hell of a crazy night.

* * *

Nico di Angelo strode through the streets of Manhattan. He glanced up at Stark Tower. It was in Park Avenue, only twenty-one minutes away from the Empire State Building on Fifth. _They were that close._

Nico had shadow-travelled- despite Chiron's warnings- to Manhattan. He owed Ms. Jackson and Mr. Blofis that- and Percy, of course. He had to warn them.

He remembered the Invasion of New York by the Chitauri and Loki. Percy had all but panicked, until Nico shadow-travelled to his apartment and took his family back to camp. After that he'd still insisted on fighting, it took a great deal of effort to calm him- and everybody else who were itching to fight. He took a deep breath.

After arriving at Percy's door, he did the polite thing and thus, did not shadow-travel up to their floor. Anyway, he needed to save the energy to get back to camp.

"Nico di Angelo to see Ms. Sally Jackson and Mr. Paul Blofis," he told the doorman, who nodded and sent the message up.

"Nico!" Ms. Jackson was clearly delighted to see him. She engulfed him in a crushing hug. She smelt of liquorice- even after quitting that candy shop in Grand Central, which Percy told him about- and freshly-baked cookies. "It's so good to see you- you've grown!" She released him and let him in. "Come in, there's some cookies waiting for you- and some more snacks, if you want."

Nico let out an automatic smile. "Thanks, Ms. Jackson, but I can't stay long." His face grew serious. "There's something I need to talk to you and Paul about."

Sally glanced at his face, and her brow furrowed in worry. She bit her lip. "Is it Percy?" She asked, afraid of the answer. "Where is he?"

"As of right now, we believe he's fine," Nico reassured her. "But he's out on a mission at the moment- don't worry, it's just a regular pick-up mission, there's a new demigod on the way- but Annabeth's with him, and so is Jason and Piper.

Sally relaxed, somewhat. "What is it you want to talk about?" She asked.

Inside, the kitchen smelt terribly delicious- not just the blue chocolate chip cookies that Sally had become famous for, but the seven-layer dip, and much more. But Nico couldn't stay long.

"Where's Paul?" He asked. "He should be here for this." As he spoke, he strode over to the playpen where Percy's cute baby sister was playing with a couple of soft toys. He smiled. "She's gotten bigger," he noted.

Just then, Paul came into the room. "Nico," he greeted with a grin. "How's it going?"

"Great, Paul," Nico greeted. "But it's getting late and there's something I need to talk to you guys about."

Paul flashed an anxious look to Sally. "Is it Percy?" He asked worriedly. Even though Percy wasn't his biological son, and it must have been hard to put up with a stepson who was a magnet for danger, Paul still treated him as his own son. Nico felt tremendous respect towards him for that- one of the few mortal teachers he felt that he could _ever_ respect.

They sat down at the table, where Nico filled them in with important details. Needless to say, Sally and Paul had been shocked and stunned to learn that other pantheons of gods besides the Greeks (and Romans- even that took a while to get your head around to) existed. Including, but not limited to, the Norse and Egyptian pantheons. Nico told them of Zeus' anger and the emergency meetings on Olympus, and that the gods were considering open conflict with Asgard. "Paranoid uncle," he stated apologetically. He also told them that while Manhattan was Greek god Central, Brooklyn was Egyptian territory.

Paul shook his head. "So, let me get this straight: many pantheons exist and many myths are true."

"Correct." Nico nodded.

He looked flummoxed. "How does that even work?"

Nico shrugged wearily. "Best not to ask. Only understand: the world gets crazier the more you think about it."

Paul grimaced. "Yes, I can see that.

"There was a treaty," he continued. "In Ancient Times."

"Correct." Nico nodded. "A treaty which they agreed to keep their peace about in many things. Including for gods never to show themselves to mortals in another pantheon's territory. As it so happened Manhattan was Greco-Roman, and Brooklyn was Egyptian. Understandably, these gods aren't too pleased with Odin and the Norse about that."

"But didn't Thor help beat back the invasion?" Sally asked, rocking her cooing daughter on her lap.

"Yes, but in doing so, he fought alongside the Hulk, and no one could ignore a big, green, giant raging monster." Nico said, dryly. "The Mist was pretty much down at that point. Loki ushered in the invasion, Thor and the Avengers beat it off, but at the same time, they prevented us- the Greeks and Romans- and the Egyptians- from fighting, which _really_ annoyed Uncle Z, and many other gods and people back at camp. After all, there were, what? Five of the Avengers? And we had entire armies at our disposal. We _had_ to stick to the treaty- it'll be complete chaos to the whole fabric of the universe otherwise, and disturb the balance between the different mythological universes, otherwise. We couldn't get our armies to New York, and defend them. We couldn't even do it in secret, considering that the Mist was down. We couldn't risk exposure."

"Wait a minute," Paul interjected. Sally bounced her toddler daughter on her knee again. "They know, don't they, the Avengers?" He glanced, almost nervously, at Sally. "That Greek gods and demigods exist." Sally's eyes widened and she clutched her daughter tighter. The baby looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Well, maybe Thor does," Nico conceded. "But even he's not stupid enough to blurt it out to S.H.I.E.L.D and the rest of the team. Things are precarious between Olympus and Asgard as it is. Same as the Egyptian and other pantheons, according to Chiron. I can't imagine that Odin's and the rest of them are having an easy time up in Asgard, trying to keep it from going to war. At this rate, we're counting on him not to make things even worse than it already is. But S.H.I.E.L.D…" He shook his head.

"Okay, quick question," he glanced at both Paul and Sally. "What do you know about S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Paul scratched his head. "Gosh. Only that they're a big and powerful organisation with high-tech equipment and work closely with the Avengers- maybe they're the bosses. They're kinda bigger than the government, but I don't really know about them that much."

"None of us do," Nico admitted. "But I do know, now that they know about Thor, many of us are beginning to wonder how soon before they find us out."

Sally drew her breath in sharply and her daughter let out a wail. She managed to calm her. "How?"

Nico looked older than he really was. "Like I said, the world knows about Thor. Plus, Captain America's enhanced."

"Yeah, I read about that," Paul mused, thoughtfully. "He was a scrawny kid, before some scientist injected him with a serum, and he turned into a superhero. But what does this have to do…" He trailed off.

"My father believes that S.H.I.E.L.D is searching for people with… Powers," he said uneasily. "Some of them are enhanced, they've been experimented on, though not like Captain America, others… Well, for some reason they've been born with powers. S.H.I.E.L.D thinks that the best way to keep them safe is to keep tabs on them- imprison them or make them work for them, like the Avengers, though probably not on the same level."

Sally gasped. "Do you think… They'd come after…" She choked.

Nico's shoulders sagged. "I don't know. Like I said, they've got access to just about every CCTV camera, or at least, Tony Stark does. And in the age of Social Media, and iPhones, I can't make any promises that someone hasn't seen us, not with the Mist in… Uncertain condition."

Sally and Paul looked at one another. Nico took a deep breath. "All I'm saying is, please, be careful. Just in case some agents come knocking on your door asking about Percy or any of us. We're all taking as much precautions as we can, but they're not infallible." He stood. "I've stayed for too long. CCTV probably picked me up, I've got to get going."

Sally and Paul hugged him, thanked him for his warning, sent him off with a few cookies and snacks, and warnings on how to be careful.

"Nico," Sally called desperately behind him. "Just… Be careful, okay? Tell Percy to take care."

Nico nodded. "I will." He smiled gently. "Thanks, Ms. Jackson. Mr. Blofis." He turned and the door shut.

* * *

Nico made his way down the elevator, the _traditional_ way. Then he approached Queensboro Bridge. It was close enough, so he didn't have to go so far.

But he did notice something suspicious. Some people seemed to be waiting around at this time of night. Not nightclubbers, but… He frowned.

Well, what did he expect? Guys in suits, trench-coats? He snorted to himself.

Maybe he was being paranoid, but it figured to Nico that it never hurt to be careful.

Still, what were random people doing at a time like this? A guy was reading a newspaper underneath a lamp-post. He frowned. Shouldn't he be doing that in the morning.

That was when Nico's quick eyes saw: people glancing at him, pretending to be otherwise occupied, like in things such as going home from work. His blood chilled.

Nico walked faster.

He couldn't shadow-travel- not like this. Not out in the open with the Mist failing and everyone so alert after the events of the Norse gods and the Chitauri Invasion. So Nico hurried as quickly as he could.

He turned onto a nearby alley, afterwards, he broke into a run.

The ones behind him started running too. Chasing him, they ran after him, nudging aside trash cans and other things.

He couldn't tell if they were monsters, terrorists, enhanced or S.H.I.E.L.D. In a world like this, anything was possible.

He ran for it. He ran for the Queensboro Bridge.

They chased him, until Nico disappeared under the shadows. He made sure it was completely dark before he shadow-travelled away.

* * *

The agents cursed. One of them pulled out a walkie-talkie. "We lost him." He scowled in the dark.

"Where'd you think he went?" The other guy questioned.

"Does it matter?" He shot back. "We've got to report back to base. Tell them that Nico di Angelo was spotted arriving and leaving Percy Jackson's apartment."

His companion nodded. "Shall we head back to Brooklyn?"

The first agent sighed. "Yeah. Come on." They took a truck and got back.

They appeared at their apartment, where they unlocked the door. A huge stash of equipment was seen, high-tech, the best and yet the most discreet, like S.H.I.E.L.D could afford.

The first agent threw down his keys. "Call base, get to Agent-" then something knocked him out.

"Wha-" the second agent blocked several blows, but something shot at him.

It took him down almost instantly.

* * *

It was a glamorous hotel lobby, from what Skye could see. The entrance was a huge neon lotus flower, the petals lighting up and blinking at the skies. There were Greek columns flanking the wide entrance and smoked, sliding glass doors and a set of chrome doors, spilling air conditioning that smelt wonderfully fragrant, like lotus blossoms. The agents couldn't be sure, but they didn't give it much thought. Palm trees framed the entrance, and the word _You will never want to leave!_ was lit up right above it.

Skye guessed it was true, judging from what she saw inside. "Hey guys," the doorman looked warm and friendly- normal, judging by his appearance.

"Thank you," Phil said without much thought. They stepped inside.

Skye, Leo Fitz and Jemma gasped. And even Grant, Phil and Melinda looked amazed. "Whoa," Leo breathed.

The whole lobby was one giant game room. There was an indoor waterslide that snaked up around the glass elevator and descended from about forty floors. There was a climbing wall on one side of the building and an indoor-bungee jumping bridge. There were rows and rows of individual video games and virtual reality suits and machines with working laser guns, dance floors, a high-class bar, a restaurant, a café and snack bars with every kind of food available. Each of the video games were the sizes of widescreen TVs. Laughter, music, and thrilling screams of excitement- the kind you hear about in amusement parks- echoed throughout the place.

"This place…" Leo Fitz couldn't find the words.

Phil was the first to snap out of it. "Now guys," he warned. "Remember: we're here on business."

"Yeah," Grant said, as if slowly waking from a daze.

Unseen to them a bellhop pointed them out to some waitresses.

"Hello, welcome to the Lotus Hotel and Casino," one of them beamed. They all came forwards. "Here." They held out a tray of canapés or hors d'oeuvres. On second glance, Phil realised they were individual lotus blossoms, pink and perfect. "Would you please try one of these?" She all but begged. "It's our signature dish- it's really good."

"Oh, really? thank you." Phil gingerly picked up the little pink flower, as did the others, Grant blinking. Melinda eyed it suspiciously. "Well, I know Chinese sometimes eat lotus roots, but this is new," she remarked.

Grant sniffed it. "It smells good."

Phil took a whiff. He was right. It smelt like rich honey and spices, meats, sweets, pastries, fresh fruits, ice creams, and a whole bunch of other things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. The smell alone was enough to set his mouth to watering. Without thinking of what he was doing, he picked it up and took a bite.

The others did the same.

"Mm." Grant chewed. "It's not bad." And then the flavours exploded on their tongues.

Spices; Rich and rolling in their mouths, dancing a mischievous tango. Fruits, exploding their tart sweetness in a rolling dance of harmony with them, a merry jig which excitedly gave way to the honeyed delights of exotic almonds and walnuts, of sweet chocolate and hazelnuts, waltzing away in their mouths, filling them with a haze of dreams and delight.

Blearily, Skye opened her eyes. The others did the same. "That…" Grant began weakly. "Was the best thing I've ever tasted." The others agreed.

" _Mmm,"_ Skye moaned. "I'd like another one."

"How'd you think they make this?" Jemma asked weakly as Leo Fitz moaned.

"Never mind that," Melinda May interrupted. "I want more." She grabbed another one from an eager waitress.

They gulped down their second flowers. And their third. By the time they were onto their last bites, there seemed to be a pink, warm, rosy haze around their visions. They felt full, warm, yet strengthened and energised. Everything smelled sweet, the fragrance of the lotus blossoms sang in their nostrils and their other senses. Skye felt strangely giddy and light-headed- like she wanted to dance, though not like she wanted to pass out.

"What should we do?" She found herself wondering.

Grant shrugged as he finished his last flower. "I don't know. What were we doing?" He wondered.

In hindsight, they should've realised that this was a bad sign. But in reality, they couldn't even remember to care. None of them had ever felt so full, and warm and _safe_ in their whole entire lives.

"I- don't know." Melinda blinked. Leo Fitz gulped the last of his flowers down. "What shall we do?"

"I don't know," Jemma murmured thoughtfully, looking regretfully at the last bite. She ate it anyway. "What are we going to do about that?"

Skye couldn't control the laughter bubbling from her lips. Phil stared at her and broke out laughing. Grant giggled- yes, _giggled-_ and tried to muffle the sound of his laughter. That set the others giggling and laughing too.

Phil finished his lotus blossom. "I think I know what we're here for." He smiled.

"For what?" Leo Fitz asked. He glanced up at the slide. "To have fun." He smiled as he looked up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi!**

 **T** **o Dedon53: I hope it's soon enough! It's going to get pretty interesting soon!**

 **To Gold December: Thank you! I'll do my best.**

 **To Rachet-Reader-Writer: THANKS! But don't worry- the PJO/HoO gang is going to get into some pretty intense stuff! It's going to get more and more interesting as time goes. **

**To AgentAW: Thank you! I hope I don't disappoint!**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own PJO/HoO, Avengers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D- that all belongs to the genius of Rick Riordan and Marvel creators respectively.**

* * *

 _Triskelion_ …

Fury frowned.

"Any details on the team we sent out to the Lotus Hotel?" Maria shook her head.

"None whatsoever," she said grimly. Fury scowled. "Send a backup strike team. In fact, I'm pretty sure we had backup on standby, just waiting for things to get ugly." Why hadn't Coulson and his team return from the hotel? They should've left by now, especially since asking a few questions about guest records and underage kids. Shouldn't take too long. Unless…

Unless they ran into whoever was behind this mess. He looked up at Agent Hill. "What're the Avengers up to? Any news about Jackson and his friends?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Maria placed some files on his desk. Fury picked them up, his scowl deepening. Whatever was here, he just knew it was not bound to be good.

"Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace and Piper McLean. It looks like they were in JFK International Airport, arriving from a flight from Dublin, Ireland."

"Ireland?" He was bewildered. "What the hell were they doing there?"

"I don't know, sir." Maria admitted, reluctantly. "But they weren't alone."

" _What?!"_

"They brought someone else." She pulled the first photograph away from the second. A picture of a hooded man with golden blond hair (as always, those pictures were damnably blurry, but at least, this one not so much) was seen. And Percy Jackson was standing right next to him, and Jason Grace. The two girls, Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase were not far behind.

"They went to Ireland," he repeated, slowly. "Yup. Not three days ago." She handed another picture. "But they didn't have someone when they arrived at JFK International, then."

"Huh." Fury leaned back. "Looks like Jackson and his team have a new friend." He looked up at Maria Hill. "Any more news?"

"Well, the Avengers are currently having a party," she said dryly. "In Stark Tower." Fury's scowl reappeared. He sat up. "I thought I told them to lay low." He grumbled. _Stark._

"Well, isn't that what TonyStark normally does?" Maria pointed out. "Throw a party? With a couple of movie stars in tow?"

A terrible, sinking feeling descended on Fury, and he resisted the urge to groan and bury his face into his hands. "Who'd they invite?"

"Oh, not much." Maria shrugged, sarcastically. "Just Tristan McLean and Jane McEwan, Beryl Grace's old friend."

Fury wanted to slam his head onto his desk.

* * *

 _In Stark Tower, Manhattan…_

The chink of glasses resounded as toasts were made and people enjoyed their champagne and cocktails, nibbling daintily on canapés.

Tristan McLean grinned, but looked somewhat nervous. The Hollywood hunk was in the same room as Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, the Hulk and Hawkeye.

He remembered what he once said to Piper: _'If I really believed in Ghost Country, or animal spirits, or Greek gods… I don't think I can sleep at night. I'd always be looking for somebody to blame.'_

And as it turned out the Norse gods existed… And aliens. And dubious government organisations. And superheroes.

Suddenly he wished the world was much, _much_ smaller. And that Piper was a little girl again, and they were walking hand-in-hand, barefoot on the beach.

Instead, Piper was a growing lady with a blond boyfriend toting her along (it was a real struggle for Tristan not to throw up or pass out the minute he heard Piper had found a boyfriend) and while she once begged him to stay home, or to let her stay with him, now it seemed… She didn't care. She had a life of her own.

And Tristan wasn't a part of it.

That hurt worse than anything. He wished, countless times, more than anything, he could turn back the clock and go back to baby Piper, hug her to bits and never let her go. He wished that he had turned away Jane, his damned former assistant, and kept Piper at home, home-schooled her, kept her under close guard. Instead, whilst trying to protect her, he pushed her away. Now when he put up a suggestion like, _'Why don't we go surfing later, today?'_ and _'Do you want to order pizza tonight?_ ' Piper would stare at him blankly, like she forgot those things existed, and that he would often suggest or like these things, before mumbling either an affirmative, or she was busy with something.

That hurt. Tristan was so caught up with his thoughts, he failed to notice Tony Stark, aka _Iron Man,_ make his way towards him. "Mr. McLean- man of the moment!" He cheered.

Tristan blinked as Tony Stark clapped him on the back. "An honour to meet you, Mr. Stark."

Iron Man- not in his suit- waved his hand, carelessly. "Please, call me Tony."

"Tony," another hand clamped on Tony Stark's shoulder. Tristan looked up with wide eyes to see Captain America. "Good evening, Mr. McLean. I'm Steve Rogers." He offered his hand.

Tristan McLean- the famous movie star- took his hand hesitantly. The captain had a firm grip, but it didn't feel crushing in the least.

Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, gave a smile. "It's nice to meet you,"

"Likewise," Tristan found himself saying. "It's an honour to be here tonight."

Just then another guest came forwards. Tristan recognised her: Jane McEwan, actress. They'd never actually met or worked together before, but he knew her face from her TV shows and films.

And from Hollywood gossip. He made it a point to check the tabloids every morning for anything on his private life, including his daughter Piper. It was always a good sign when they missed things out about his personal life, including her. But Jane McEwan was there a few times- though very rarely. She was one of the few actors in Hollywood that had managed to stay in a lasting relationship- she'd been married to her husband since 1989. They'd had three kids. Now those kids were grown, and if the magazines' photographs were right, the family had a happy, close relationship. No problems, nothing. Tristan's heart squeezed at the thought.

He looked away. "Ms. McEwan." He heard Captain America greet him. _Really, Tristan?_ He wanted to scold himself. Here he was, meeting real superheroes- the world's best, as a matter of fact- and he all he could do was mope.

Besides, it was his fault. _His_ fault he drove his precious, only daughter away.

Wonder what Cristal would do if she could see me now, he thought grimly. Piper's mother had left a note, one morning, when their daughter was just a baby. She had gotten away from a rather nasty family, she'd said. Dysfunctional, to say the least. And she feared at every turn, they'd catch up to her.

She was the greatest love of Tristan's life. No, she was his _true_ love. His one and only, and if only he'd had her for the rest of his life, if only he'd had the guts to propose…

 _But you don't have any guts,_ he told himself. _Otherwise, you would be able to handle a world full of gods and monsters. Instead, you're thankful Thor isn't here, and you shoved your own daughter away. You listened to Jane._

 _But I didn't mean to,_ he argued with himself. _I was trying to protect her._

And look how well that ended, he thought grimly. Cristal had left a note, saying that she needed to leave their baby with him, in case her family came for her. She was seriously afraid for him and Piper. She begged him to tell their baby that her mother loved her, and that she was only doing this because she loved them. She said she knew Tristan would make a great father, the very best, she'd insisted. If only she knew how wrong she was.

He didn't realised he'd zoned out by the time another man, came up and was chatting idly with Jane.

"Oh, my apologies," he extended his hand. "Bruce Banner, pleased to meet you."

"Tristan McLean," he gave a forced smile as he took the man's hand. "But you probably knew that," he laughed awkwardly. "Err… Are you by any chance…?"

"The green guy?" He laughed even more awkwardly than him. Bruce Banner ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I guess, that would be me."

"Oh." He wasn't usually a blushing fool (only around Cristal), but now Tristan was embarrassed. "Sorry about-" he tried to apologise.

Bruce Banner shrugged. "It's okay. I get that a lot." He looked at Tristan with interest. "So, you're Tristan McLean. The famous movie star."

"Yeah," Tristan laughed. "That would be me."

"I saw you in that James Bond movie," he murmured thoughtfully. "Playing a Syrian terrorist. And then again, in King of Sparta, playing, well, a Spartan king. But I heard that you're Cherokee. Why is it that you never play any Native American role?"

Tristan shrugged helplessly. "Well, I guess, they're a little too close to home. I just wanted something that would challenge me."

"Okay," Bruce nodded as he took a sip. He looked around the place. "Crazy huh? Tony sure loves his parties." He chuckled.

Tristan waved a careless hand. "Oh, think nothing of it. I've seen crazier. I've _been_ to crazier."

"Yeah," Bruce said, eying him curiously. "I'm sure you have. I'm sorry, but you don't seem like the type that would delve into the lifestyle of a crazy star- sorry, didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"It's okay," Tristan assured him. "To be honest, I've never really liked the insanity of Hollywood culture. I'm more of a quiet kind-of-guy. I like the simple stuff: chilling out at the beach for a surf, having some black-bean soup with my daughter- used to make that for her when she got sick…" He trailed off.

Bruce Banner was eying him even more curiously. "You have a daughter."

Tristan's mouth went dry. He wanted to slap himself. "Yeah."

Bruce shrugged. "Oh, that's cool. So, how'd you balance fatherhood with Hollywood?"

Tristan hesitated, then shrugged. "Truthfully? I don't. I'm very bad at it. I used to be there for my girl, every time she got sick, or when kids teased her in school, then I hit the big-timeand I got a taste of the Hollywood insanity- and I knew it was bad news for Piper. I couldn't bring her into that, she was sweet, innocent, and I couldn't just tell her that this was the kind of life she had to live from now on- make the friends who I think she should make, live in the goldfish bowl, get buttered up by people who just want to take advantage of her instead of being friendly or helpful. So, I did something I really regretted: sent her off to boarding school." He shook his head. "Worst idea I ever had in my life."

Why was he telling this guy all this? He'd only just met him. You'd think that a professional movie star like Tristan McLean would've known better, but he figured, now that this guy was newly-famous (despite being a superhero), needed some tips. After all, who knows? Were superheroes fathers?

 _Is such a thing possible?_ He wondered.

"Ah," Bruce nodded sagely. "I'm sorry to hear about that. How is she now?"

"She's fine. Last I heard she had a boyfriend," Tristan grunted. "She barely has any time left for me. Once I insisted on taking her to boarding school and she begged me to let her stay. Now _she's_ the one who wants to be sent away. We hardly ever see each other anymore."

Bruce winced. Then they both saw Tony and Ms. McEwan coming their way. They were chatting happily.

"Which boarding school did you send your daughter too?" He asked. "I have a few kids- might be a good idea to send them away, until the craziness goes down."

Tristan shrugged. "Or not. I'm living with more regrets than I can count." He sighed. "If you must know, though, it's in Long Island."

"Long Island?" Bruce sounded surprised. "Here, in New York?"

"Yeah. And it's not a school- it's a summer camp. Which is weird, 'cause they take a lot of kids, even when it's not summer." He sipped his drink.

Bruce looked surprised. "Right. And she met her boyfriend at this camp."

Tristan snorted. "Yeah." He shook his head. "Ah well, at least she's happy."

"Right." But unbeknownst to the movie star, Dr. Bruce Banner, otherwise known as the Incredible Hulk, was absorbing all this in silent astonishment.

Piper McLean… A summer camp… Here in Long Island, New York….

He would have to tell Fury.

"So, let me get this straight," Fury said slowly. "Tristan McLean's daughter, Piper, goes to a summer camp, in Long Island, New York. She has a boyfriend."

"Correct," Bruce replied in the affirmative.

"What about Jane McEwan," Natasha interjected, quite curious. "What did she say about Beryl Grace and her kids?"

"Well," Tony sighed. "Keep in mind, these are Hollywood stars and they're used to having the press grind them for info on their love lives- and their kids. They've learned to keep a tight lid on things."

"Not so much Tristan McLean," Bruce argued. "I think he's pretty unhappy about his relationship with his daughter. He admitted he regretted sending his kid away to boarding school-" _"Good,"_ Tony muttered, almost venomously. "And that she no longer has any time or interests for him. As a matter of fact, he mentioned that she no longer wanted to see him anymore. And that she has a boyfriend."

Fury leaned forwards on the last one. "Grace?" He asked dangerously.

"Could be," Bruce conceded. He looked at the director curiously. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, she has been seen with Jason Grace a number of times," he admitted, leaning back on his chair. "It could be him." He looked at the others. "What did Jane McEwan say about Beryl Grace and her relationship with her kids? I'm assuming you brought that topic up?"

Tony scratched his head. "Yeah. She said she always meant to keep a close relationship with her kids, and that she's started several organisations meant to keep foster children happy and to give them support once they've left. Pepper asked how she managed to raise three kids amidst Hollywood's craziness, and she mentioned something about keeping them grounded and having a good family life- and that one of her friends didn't do just that, and next thing they knew, both her children went missing while she was probably out partying." He grimaced. "I assume that's Beryl Grace."

"So she's had no contact with the Grace children ever since their disappearance?" Fury asked, point-blanc.

Tony shook his head. "Doesn't look like it."

The director of S.H.I.E.L.D sighed heavily. Subtlety wasn't Tony's strong suit to put it mildly. But nevertheless, he had to applaud him for what he had done.

"Did she say anything about Beryl Grace, apart from what you've told me?" Tony shook his head.

"Fine. Well, we have one lead. I think the most logical course of action is to look into all the summer camps in Long Island."

* * *

 _Heraklion, Crete…._

The golden-haired man sat his hands grasping the ancient scroll in front of him.

Studying it intently, he put it aside and rose on the balcony, gazing at the Cretan sky and the sea below. Power was in his movements, in his lean and sculpted muscle, he had never allowed himself to go fat, and a sinuous grace like a predator was visible about him. He radiated an aura of strength, power and fear, golden-haired like Northern Greeks, even at his own era, chiselled features, one eye dark blue, like a midsummer storm, the other pale blue like a cloudless sky. You could not doubt that in his day he had been a warrior without equal, a man of immeasurable power.

Where was that power today? He could laugh. Poison? Or drink? He scoffed.

"Darling?" His smile appeared genuine now at the voice.

"Love," he greeted, smiling a smile that sent maidens to swooning with joy and delight and young boys to wetting themselves.

The girl walked forwards. More beautiful than Helen herself, she gave a mischievous smile and glided, wearing nothing more than a dressing gown made of silk, over a pink and white silk negligée that mysteriously concealed and yet flattered her heartbreaking figure at the same time.

She glided over and stood by his side, taking his offered hand.

"You've been up for many nights," she remarked, matter-of-factly. He murmured an affirmative.

"Our next mission?" She asked. His two-toned eyes- always so captivating- darkened.

He was silent for a moment. "Tell me, Aglaia." He demanded. "You intend to go to America?"

"No." His eyes narrowed.

"You are waiting for them to come here." His voice was flat.

"Yes," she admitted. Aglaia turned to him. Her green eyes, more beautiful than emeralds, darkened, but had a shine of power to them.

 _Where was this woman in my mortal life?_ He wondered. Aloud he said, "You should have been born two millennia earlier."

She scoffed. "And where would I be then?"

He suddenly pulled her closer to him. _"A queen,"_ he whispered. "A queen of the world."

She pulled away from him. "Still a conqueror and ruler at heart, my love?" Aglaia raised a delicate eyebrow. She had power, fire and water at once, and what the ancients called _'kharis'_ (which gave the English their word 'charisma') oozed out of her every pore. He grinned.

"I do not back down," she warned, her voice soft, but with a dangerous undercurrent. Her eyes glowed. "Even to kings." He sighed.

"Who said I wanted you to bow?" He smirked. "You're much to delicious for that." She turned away with a grimace.

"How vain, without merit, is the name," she sighed, quoting Homer. He grinned. Aglaia looked at him. "I would have been one… Of many. You would have locked me in a gilded palace, worse than the one in Athens."

"Your parents still don't know about your activities?" He arched an eyebrow. Aglaia fell silent. She felt guilt about deceiving her father, mother and brothers that way. Him, having grown up in such a place of intrigue, never had any qualms about keeping things from his parents, particularly when it came to achieving what needed to be done. He was ruthless that way, and there was some part that still did the same.

She just stood there, gazing at the night sky and horizon. He sighed. "How long before the Olympians find us out?" He mused. "The things they would do…"

"Do you still feel reverence," her green eyes flashed as she turned towards him. _"Honour_ forthem?" They flashed even more. Her delicate hand gripped the railing.

"I prayed to them when I was a boy and a youth," he reminded. "And then again, when I was out there, on campaign, bitter dust in my mouth, my men dropping like flies from the amount of stones in their sandals from the sand."

"And they answered," she said mockingly and turned away again. Aglaia glowered. _We're two halves of a whole,_ he marvelled. She was so like him, during his mortal days, and yet so different.

"You had the whole world at your feet," she murmured, emerald eyes dark. "The warrior instinct of your father, the passion of mythology your mother shared to you, and the philosophy of your tutor- the most brilliant mind of the age, I might add- and countless armies, phalanxes at your disposal, along with the companion cavalry." He grinned.

"You should have conquered the world with me," he reminded. "I would have laid the world at the feet of a worthier conqueror."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You had no desire to inherit anything which offered you softness, pleasures and luxuries. You wanted a life of wars, struggles and unrelenting ambition."

He made a face. "Did you, by any chance, get that from Plutarch?"

Aglaia laughed. "Love," her eyes smouldered with a powerful light as she looked at him. She looked him in the eye. They grasped hands. "They will come for me. And I will make them what they need to be. They need me. Soon, it will be my turn to show the world."

The golden-haired, immortal deity smirked. "I will be ready, but I will not wait long. I _have_ been taught patience, Aglaia, but I've dealt with waiting more than enough.

"Especially where you, my love, are concerned." He turned away this time.

"I will be waiting with our forces," he said, putting his authoritative voice on. "I will order the commandoes to begin initiating our troops. In the meantime, wait if you must, but you'd better stay here, in Crete. Your Irish friend-" his mouth twisted slightly at the word. Normally he would've adored this boy. "Will come sooner rather than later. This will give us long enough time to get started."

In Heraklion, a fleet of ships lay ready, waiting. The Greek Hellenic Navy owned some of them, but even now, his power was unquestioned. He had been lying in wait for millennia. Enough was enough.

* * *

 _JFK International Airport, New York…_

Alex gave Percy, Jason, Annabeth and Piper the evil eye.

In truth, he'd lied. He did have five tickets to New York, but only to fool them. He had never intended to jump on board that plane and fly for Camp Half-Blood.

But then those bas****s had arrived in Dublin Airport and started chasing them. What happened next? Well, they attacked, a fight broke out. Security got called, and the Mist had been manipulated to make the mortals think they were terrorists or something of that kind. He had fought them off, his new _'friends'_ read his intentions and forced him on board by doing stupid like running back after him. He ended up on the plane bound for New York.

Damn, that was a hard pill to swallow.

Alex settled for scowling and glaring out the wing mirror to check for any pursuers.

He asked: "Is this the normal route to your camp?"

"Huh?" Percy eyed him from where he was behind the wheel.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"I'm asking if this is the route everybody normally takes when they want to go to your camp."

"Well," Jason gazed uncertainly at the other four. "What other roads are there?"

Alex wanted to face-palm.

"Look," he said calmly. "Monsters after us… _And_ S.H.I.E.L.D this time. _Mortal._ Very mortal. Also in possession of CCTV cameras, and judging from what happened with New York-" Percy almost winced. "Definitely aware and on the lookout for the supernatural. Take the same route, and I'm amazed if they haven't caught any of you yet."

Piper stared at him. "Why? Did you notice anything different?"

"Only a few speed cameras on the way from the airport to Long Island," he pointed out. "And CCTV. Think they might be trailing us?"

The four demigods looked uneasy, but they couldn't say this right now.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

Piper and Annabeth glanced at each other. "I think…" Annabeth began hesitantly. "That you might be right." She took a deep breath and turned to Percy. "Percy… I think we should've taken a different route."

"What?!" Percy stared through the rear-view mirror. "We're too far ahead to turn back now!"

"Well keep a look-out," Alex suggested. "In case-" he froze.

"Er- What?"

"Incoming," Alex said abruptly. "Three on the left, two on the right, tailing right behind us, possibly- judging by the way they attacked- leading us into an ambush." He cursed in Irish.

Annabeth cursed in Ancient Greek.

"Camp's not far," she tried to put in a reassuring word. "We just need to make it to the borders- the shield will repel them-"

Alex stared at her. "Did you not hear what I said? They're leading us into an ambush!"

Annabeth glared at him. "How do _you_ know that?"

Alex cursed again. "We don't have much time, but judging by the way they're picking up speed, their friends- or owners- are still a distance away. They just need to chase us into the trap." He glared at Percy. "Hand me the wheel!"

"Whoa, dude," Percy began. "You sure?"

"I'm _certain,"_ Alex hissed. Was it Percy's imagination or were his blue eyes flaming sparks?

"Guy!" Piper yelled. "It's hellhounds!"

Sure enough there they were, growling with menacing eyes like lava from the pits of hell, fur darker than night and foaming rabidly around the mouth.

Hellhounds indeed. "Demon dogs, eh?" Alex muttered grimly as Percy struggled out of his seat. He moved himself firmly in place. "Now you've got a few seconds to tell me where this camp is, and I'm going to do a diversion. Buckle up," he added as he gave the steering wheel a jerk.

The van gave a deafening screech, wheeling sharply and nearly overturning. The hellhounds yowled and barrelled out of the way to avoid a collision, but Alex didn't stop there. He spurred the accelerator, charging the van forwards, and driving like a maniac.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Annabeth screeched. "Camp is that way!"

"So's the ambush," he answered, not breaking concentration.

"And the shield that repels monsters!"

"Which we will never reach in time." Alex gave a short glance at the wing mirror. The five hellhounds had been joined by another, even bigger buddy and a humanoid figure next to the creature.

"And there they are," he said grimly, barely a second before he gave another sharp turn.

The hellhounds chasing them, tried to stop in time, but they had a hard time keeping up with the van. Still, Alex knew he couldn't outrun them on this. These were monsters. He doubted he had that long. "Brace yourselves," he shouted.

"The Hephaestus Cabin won't be happy if they have to repair another car," Jason mumbled. "Chiron said-"

But Alex didn't have time to find out what Chiron said or would've said. He charged straight for the humanoid figure.

The figure- which turned out to be an Empousa- gave a hiss and brandished a rather-nasty looking whip. It sparked with flames, and Alex grinned. He had driven so fast, and now-

He swerved to the side again.

The demon-lady ended up taking out two of her hellhounds. They exploded into monster dust with a yelp while Alex grinned.

She screeched with rage, eyes glowing with menace. Shouting at the remaining hellhounds- including the big one- she pointed at the van. _"GET THEM!"_

The charged, howling and yipping.

"Not fast enough," Alex grunted as he spurred the car onto a different direction.

"I need you to open the window." He shouted.

"What?"

"Just do it!" Piper leaned over and with great difficulty, managed to open one. "Excellent."

The vehicle slowed and the hellhounds caught up but not before the van gave another sharp turn. At that moment, Percy only had time to catch a flash of bronze within his sight, as it flew out of the back window. He barely saw Alex move at all, but he did make out a the two of the hellhounds exploding with a _yelp_ as the bronze dart found its target.

"Two down, two to go," Alex murmured. "Three if you want to include the crazy snake-b***h.

"Do you have any long-range weapons."

"None of us are that good with long-range," Jason shouted through the wind. "So, no."

"Damn," Alex ground his teeth. "That just makes things harder. We don't have that much time. She may have called for reinforcements."

Percy knew he was right. Still, it didn't mean he had to like Alex's crazy survival driving, as he charged straight for a tree- or so it seemed.

He swerved at the last minute and slammed into the remaining hellhound which flew several feet into the air, yelping as it crashed into its yowling friend.

Alex pulled the van to a stop. He dove out of the car die-hard style, and there was a flash of metal as he rolled straight for the Empousa, leaping up just as she swung her whip towards him. He side-stepped and slashed. The Empousa screamed. Her arm lay on the ground, crumbling into yellow dust and blowing away with the wind.

She growled. Her eyes glowed red as lava. Alex smiled. Annabeth blinked. Alex had ripped out the whip from the Empousa's hand, and it looked like he had used it to rip her arm off. She gasped.

"Did you see-" Piper choked.

"Yeah," Annabeth managed to gasp out. "Yeah. He did."

Alex had seriously injured a higher-level monster.

The empousa shrieked with rage. Her remaining arm drew a sharp scimitar and charged towards Alex. He side-stepped, grabbed her by the arm faster than the eye could follow, and shoved her into the ground. Grabbing the whip, he looped it around her neck, twisted it and pulled.

Her ruby eyes bugged. She thrashed, her limbs kicked and flailed. Her talons dug into the ground, she bucked and flapped uselessly, and Alex held on tight.

Finally, her eyes dimmed and blurred and Alex pulled back her neck with a sickening _snap._ She was dead.

In the meantime, the other four had taken care of the remaining, injured hellhounds. The Empousa's form crumbled into yellow dust and blew as if under a fan. Alex allowed his released his grip and the whip dropped to the ground.

He shakily stood. The other four, he didn't need to see, were staring at him.

Alex drew his gun and in a flash shot down something behind him. A clacking sound followed the dropping of metal. He looked at them. "Cameras." He said trying to keep his voice even. He strode over to examine it.

"These aren't regular CCTV cameras." He told them. "They look high-tech, and not some cheap rip-off either." He grabbed them. "Best to examine them, later. Right now, we've got to move. I think S.H.I.E.L.D knows that you're here."

As if their day couldn't get any better already. By the time they went back into the van and drove off, S.H.I.E.L.D's agents had barely gotten a signal.

* * *

Fury's remaining eye wanted nothing more than to close. He was so damn tired and sick of this.

Phil Coulson and his team had not returned from Vegas, and neither did the back-up team they sent after them. He scowled.

Sitting up on his swivel-chair, Fury withheld a growl as he summoned Agent Hill.

"Sir?" She asked as soon as she came in. "Find Coulson and his team," he ground out. "And send the strike team for them. They've been gone for far too long."

Maria Hill's eyes brightened in alarm for the fraction of the second, before she uttered an affirmative and backed out. Fury tried to restrain his temper. If Phil Coulson managed to get himself killed… For good this time…

"Who are these kids?" He muttered aloud. "That casino…"

He should contact the agents in New York too- see what they found out from trailing Percy Jackson.

* * *

 _Camp Half-Blood…_

The van ground to a halt in front of the Big House.

Alex kept his head low. He could feel the others staring at him.

"Did you… Did you see that?" Percy began hesitantly. "He took out the hellhounds, and the Empousa-"

"I know, I saw it too," Jason muttered. "I don't think many of us, Greek or Roman, could do what he's done without a fair amount of training, and even then… I'm not sure they'd succeed."

"He has super-fast reflexes," Percy admitted slowly.

To put it frankly, Alex McDermott was the greatest fighter without training he had ever seen. He voiced this to Jason who agreed.

And he hadn't even been trained… Or at least that's what they thought. Percy remembered Meg McCaffrey who'd shown up in Camp and sliced nets and an arrow with seemingly no training, all to defend her _karpoi-_ or fruit demon friend.

Then it turned out that Meg had been kidnapped and trained by the evil god-emperor Nero.

Remembering that particular episode made Percy's wariness increase. Can we trust him? He wondered. But Alex had saved all their lives- more than once. Including when mortals were after them. Which reminded him…

"Who were the mortals after us?" He spoke aloud.

Alex shrugged. "Who knows? S.H.I.E.L.D perhaps. Or a terrorist group like HYDRA."

"HYDRA- like the many-headed snake monster?" Percy stared blankly.

"No- the terrorist organisation. They call themselves HYDRA because, according to them, when you cut off one head, two more grow back. They're just like that."

"Great," Jason mumbled. "Or it could be-" Alex's demeanour darkened considerably. _"Them."_

"Who?" Percy asked. But Alex had clenched his hands into fists so tightly and he was grinding his jaw. "Let's…" He tried to take several deep breaths. "Not talk about them. We have other matters to think about."

Annabeth viewed him with scepticism.

"PLEASE?" He bit out. Piper looked at her. She sighed. "Fine."

She looked at the other three. "He's hiding something."

Percy stared at her. "Aren't we all?" He asked. "You weren't exactly open about your past when we were twelve- and we just met him."

"You have a good point," Annabeth admitted, almost sheepishly. She was blushing slightly, which made her look even cuter in Percy's opinion.

"Guys," Jason said slowly. "Normally I would encourage you to be cautious. But this guy… He saved our lives, he was willing to listen to our story. He might be hiding some things," he paused. "But it doesn't mean that we shouldn't trust him. Right now, I don't think he trusts us."

"Why not?" Percy hated the fact that he sounded petulant.

Jason shrugged. "Probably because he knows someone else sent us to get him."

Piper nodded. "He's right. But why come here if he doesn't trust us."

Percy frowned. "Maybe he wants to give us the benefit of the doubt?"

Maybe, either way the five of them headed for the Big House.

* * *

"Interesting summer camp," Alex said dryly. But he didn't sound too impressed. "The view's definitely beautiful, the nature too, I can promise that much."

They were standing at the porch. Luckily, Mr. D wasn't there, and they were waiting for Chiron.

Alex had risen an eyebrow when he saw a decapitated leopard head that was technically still living. But he didn't act too weirded out. His blue eyes were scanning everything, analysing and sharp.

"Ah, Percy, Annabeth, Jason and Piper- you've returned." Chiron rolled in on his wheelchair. "And you must be…?"

"Alex," Alex answered, extending a hand to shake. "Alex McDermott."

Chiron took his hand. He then studied Alex's face and frowned. Then he froze.

"Sir?" Percy asked, hesitantly.

Chiron shook it off. "Nothing, my boy. Though I could've sworn you seemed familiar somehow." He looked back at Alex. "So, you're from Ireland."

Alex inclined his head. His Irish accent was somewhat noticeable, though it wasn't so strong. "Yes."

"Strange, we rarely get demigods from outside of North America these days," Chiron frowned.

" _Did you ever_ _look?"_ Alex sounded like he had spat out those words. Everyone turned to him, startled. "My apologies." He gave a smile, but it looked like he had tasted something foul.

"Ah," Chiron gave a quick glance at the four Heroes of Olympus. "I assume you've told him about-"

"Yeah," Percy said. "And he believed us."

"Did he?" Chiron gave an interested glance at the newcomer. "Interesting."

"Because it's so much easier and so much more convenient to believe that myths are only myths?" Alex arched an eyebrow. "And yet, not two months ago, a team of _superheroes,_ including a Norse god, stopped New York from being invaded."

"So he has a point." Chiron nodded gravely. "I should also add that Thor and Loki have nothing to do with us."

"Oh, I know _that."_ Alex said dryly. He nodded towards the four. "These guys have told me about the Greek- and Roman- gods. How they have different aspects."

Chiron winced. "Yes. And I assume that you must have been confused."

"Somewhat," Alex confessed. "But I adapt pretty easily." His eyes grew haunted and dark. "In this world, you either adapt, or you die. That's pretty much everything I've learned in my life."

Chiron narrowed his eyes towards him. "Your life. And pray, young one, what was your life before this? In Ireland?"

"I wasn't always in Ireland," Alex corrected. "I was accepted pretty early on- in my late teens- into the Irish Defence Forces. My mentor and later, adopted father, put in a good word for me. Then I ended up in the Special Operations division."

Chiron sat very still. "Interesting," he managed. "And where is your adopted father now?"

"Dead." Alex said flatly before any of the four could say anything. "Died years ago. Raid in Kabul, Afghanistan."

"Ah," Chiron winced. "I'm so terribly sorry about that, my young friend. But if I may ask," he looked up at him. "How old are you?"

"He's one year younger than us," Annabeth interjected. "He's 1994."

"A few months older than me," Jason stated. He still found it hard to believe. How long did this guy last?

"And your mortal parent," Chiron narrowed his eyes. "They didn't say anything?"

Alex gave a harsh laugh. He couldn't help it. He just laughed. It was a hard, mocking laugh, not pleasant at all. "I never knew my biological father," he stated bluntly as they winced. "By the way my mother talked about it, he was probably at some resort, drinking Piña Colada or a cocktail and fondling some bar-tender or a call-girl."

They cringed at that. But Alex refused to apologise for stating the blunt truth. Now that he knew his father was a god, for sure, he had even less empathy for him, whoever he was.

"As for my mother, she's dead. She's been for years," he continued mercilessly. "Died in prison."

"Prison?" Percy blurted. Subtlety was never his strong suit.

"Yes, prison. She was arrested and found guilty of child abuse and murder," Alex stated, point-blanc. That made them wince even more. "I was apparently one of her victims, but I survived- they found me much later," he taunted.

They winced again. Served them right, Alex thought savagely.

"How… How did you survive?" Piper asked softly. Alex shrugged. "Maybe it's because I learnt to adapt, to be resilient and survive. When you've beaten a dog for so long, eventually, the dog doesn't feel it when you flog them, even if half their skin does come off."

Another wince. Alex felt a savage satisfaction at that. If his father was truly a god, he hoped he was listening.

"Any more questions about my parents?" He asked, deliberately goading them. "Or would you rather prefer to poke in how I managed to survive?"

Chiron winced yet again. "No… That's alright. I am sorry, my boy. I should never have brought it up."

"You wouldn't have needed to," Alex pointed out. "If you'd all have been more observant." He snapped. His dark blue eyes narrowed. There was a hardness, despite the handsomeness of his face, in the chiselled bone structure that looked razor-sharp, like blades. A growing hunger in those dark blue eyes. It struck Percy that he had seen that look before. In Nico di Angelo, in Thalia Grace and in Luke Castellan and Ethan Nakamura. All of whom had been tempted by Kronos and/or bore a strong resentment towards the gods.

Annabeth must have seen it too, judging by the way she flinched. As if she was seeing the ghosts of the long-dead past.

"I take it you hardly venture out of North America," he said slowly and dangerously. "If at all. I take it the other camp's the same." He said, shooting a look at Jason.

Jason sighed. "We're trying," he beseeched him. Not that it did much good. Alex's eyes narrowed even more. "It's kinda hard to operate-"

"Because the centre of the world is apparently here." Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I forgot about that. Of course, you Americans have every reason to forget the rest of the world exists. Now _that the heart of Western Civilisation is here,"_ he taunted. His sapphire eyes glared at them.

"You know nothing of the _real_ world." He sneered. "Kids die all the time. And sometimes, the ones they love are the ones who betray them."

At that Annabeth snapped. "We know about that too," she argued. "We've experienced our fair share of betrayals."

"Yeah, we saved the world- twice." Percy put in.

"That may be," Alex said icily. "But it doesn't explain why you ignored so many children even _after_ they died." His eyes glowed.

"There were a lot of children," he said even more dangerously, stepping closer to them. "And so many of them died, I doubt we'd be able to count them all. If your job was to find and protect these kids, I have to be frank, maybe you did a great job here in North America. But everywhere else, you did a shoddy job and countless kids paid the price. They're all _dead,_ and not very peacefully." He spat.

The silence struck them louder than thunder.

"Where were they?" A voice suddenly asked. Nico di Angelo had appeared. He was staring hard at Alex.

Alex didn't look too surprised to see him there. "A lot of places. I was only one survivor. I doubt you'd find anymore, so don't bother." His voice was bitter.

Chiron suddenly looked over thousands of years old- which he was. He buried his face in his hand. "I see." He said, his voice aged too. "Alex," he said softly. "I understand why you are so angry-"

" _DO_ you?" Alex interjected.

"But it doesn't mean that it's too late," Chiron implored, beseechingly up at Alex.

"It probably is for the hundreds," Alex said. "Or maybe thousands." He pretended to think. "I think it's most likely thousands. Thousands of kids dead, abandoned by their parents to a terrible and untimely death, and now you're telling me that my long-dead _father_ is an immortal god on high _Olympus?"_ His voice had increased in deadliness, at least marginally.

"It may be," Chiron tried to put in. "Or maybe just a minor god. After all, children of minor gods tend to have weaker scents than a child of a major Olympian god. It's hard for monsters to sniff them out, but also harder for anyone to find them."

Alex wasn't pacified. "You know what's the worst thing?" He cut in. "That you guys don't even know. Or maybe the gods know but they don't care. Thousands of their own children dead, and we don't even know whether they just dumped them in a peat bog, incinerated them in an oven like in Auschwitz or well… I'll let you draw the conclusions. Their body pieces cut up maybe," he mused. "Or fed to the hellhounds, like the ones we saw on the way here."

Annabeth felt sick. She didn't believe it, she couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe that thousands of demigod children, probably including her own brothers and sisters, had been abused and killed in such horrible ways, their bodies burned like rubbish, dumped in a bog or fed to monsters. All of it without them or the gods knowing. But the barely-concealed rage on Alex's face was undeniable. She knew what happened to Meg McCaffrey. They'd told her.

Alex stepped even closer. "I've seen them," he said flatly. "I've seen them tortured and killed. Some of them as young as pre-school age, if not younger. Very few of them survived.

"Where were you- any of you- when that happened?"

* * *

 _Las Vegas, in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino…_

"Damn it," Maria Hill cursed. "Where the heck are they?"

"We've got no info from inside the hotel," one agent said worriedly. "I'm not just the agents we sent in to have a sneak around, but any satellite imagery, or anything. No maps- nothing."

She frowned. "When was this hotel built?"

"I got… Nothing." The agent admitted. Jack Rollins, an agent of STRIKE (the Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies), their counter-terrorist Special Unit, was there was well. He scowled.

"We should go in," he urged. "With a strike force."

Maria herself scowled. "Fury already authorised it, but we don't know where Coulson and his team are, or if they're still alive."

"We can find them," he urged. "We'll scour every room, every closet if we have to. We leave NO TABLES UNTURNED." He said loud and clear- but not too loud. "Do I make myself clear?" He questioned.

"Yes sir," they responded. Out of the vans, the STRIKE teams came, bearing German Shepherds, AK47s, and some high-level weaponry, courtesy of Tony Stark.

They hurried out and around the back of the hotel, around the sides, sweeping in for side entrances. As there were no maps, no records, nothing, this made things much, much harder. Maria came out, wielding a gun and wearing body armour like the others. She suspected that this hotel and casino was illegal.

Silently, she pressed herself against a wall. Agent Rollins looked at her. She nodded to him. He waved his hand forwards. A squad of heavily-armoured agents came in. Another team came. They went to the back of the building. Shooting magnetic grappling hooks, they rose slowly to the roof of the building.

Above the entrance, in neon lights, were the words: You will never want to leave! A group of giggling escort girls waved passer-by in. A bellhop too.

"Hey guys," the bellhop said. "You kids look tired. You want to come in?"

The group of ragged kids looked at one another. They all wore baggy clothes, nothing expensive on them at all, mostly ratty. They didn't look rich. In fact, it looked as if they hadn't washed for days. They appeared to be delinquents.

"Um… We don't have any money." One of them stated.

The bellhop waved his hands. "Nah, that's cool. It's all taken care of."

The kids looked excited. They can't have been college-educated. "Really?" One them asked.

The bellhop laughed. "Here's your Casino debit cards and room keys. Come right in!"

He handed them green plastic cards and they excitedly burst in. Maria's eyes widened. She shared a glance with Jack Rollins. His brow furrowed. Not only was this making their task much harder, it was also very sinister.

Maria had never doubted Phil's ability to survive, him and his team including Grant Ward. But now she began to genuinely fear for him. And for the kids.

She remembered the white limo that was seen in Gila Claw, Arizona, that mysterious biker who kidnapped Percy Jackson and his friends and ushered him at the point of a gun, into the limo, apparently to talk to whatever boss he had in there. Could he… Could they have some base of operations here? Or some-

Jack gave the signal.

The team up above, burst a door open. They signalled. "We're in."

Now was their chance.

* * *

Hotel and Casino guests and party-goers screamed as STRIKE Teams appeared from every floor, on every balcony, on the elevator and from every entrance. Glass shattered, causing them to run and duck for cover.

"FREEZE- PUT YOUR HANDS UP IN THE AIR!" Someone shouted.

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" A STRIKE officer shouted. "Easy there, hold up," what looked like the hotel manager shouted. He came up with his hands in the air.

"Hands behind your head, on the ground- now!" Jack Rollin's voice shouted.

Maria noticed that the hotel guests and casino party-goers didn't look too concerned. To be honest, this was a pretty awesome hotel. Not every hotel and casino had an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, coming from at least forty floors. There was also a climbing wall on one side, an indoor bungee jumping bridge, countless virtual reality stations with laser guns, hundreds of video games with widescreens on them. Everything down to the cheesy Pac-Man.

She was in awe. She couldn't help it.

Then she snapped out of it. _How the heck could they afford this?_ She asked herself. But no wonder the guests didn't seem concerned.

The manager put his hands behind his head. Then in a single flash he pulled them out from behind them and shot something at an agent. Maria only got a flash of metal before the agent crumpled.

"Wha-" she managed before the shooting began.

Shiny metallic things protruded from the ceiling. Maria noticed they were spiders, bronze-coloured, metallic looking spiders erupting from every inch of the ceiling, every outlet, every crack from the doors. They leapt on each of the agents.

Agents yelled, shouted and screamed as the spiders began biting, scratching and stabbing with sharp pincers and pointy-tipped legs, making the guests squeal and even scream. They mostly tried to dodge them, though they didn't have any spiders on them.

Jack Rollins yelled and shot his AK47 several times in the air. Maria was fighting desperately to get the spiders off her. Some agents were down, screaming frantically as the spiders clawed on them. Maria tried to shoot some on the floor, but realised they were outnumbered. She called desperately into her com, but no signal.

She ran for it.

Ran through the guests, amidst shouts of _'Hey!'_ and _'Watch where you're goin'!'_ passed people dancing on a mirro, lounging around smooching with girls, people on video games and roulette, gambling machines, cafés and restaurants.

 _Phil!_ She thought frantically. "Phil!" She then froze to a halt.

She recognised that girl alright. That was one of Phil Coulson's agents. Sar- no, _Skye._ Skye was her name.

"Skye." She went over to her. "Skye!" Skye kept on shooting. She was on a virtual reality game, scaling walls with virtual reality helmets and lenses on, a plastic gun in hand. Maria grabbed her by the shoulders. "Skye!"

"Hey!" Skye shouted irritably. "Watch where you're going!" She drew the plastic weapon at Maria and began clicking. Maria rolled her eyes.

"Skye- it's me- Maria- Agent Maria Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D!" She called desperately. "Where's Phil?"

"Wha-" Skye looked and sounded confused.

"Phil- Phil Coulson," Maria pressed. "Grant Ward, Melinda May, Leo Fitz. Jemma Simmons. Where are they?!"

Skye froze. She tilted her head to one side. "Phil Coulson!" Maria shouted. "Melinda May! Grant Ward! Leo Fitz! Jemma Simmons! Your mission! You wanted to join S.H.I.E.L.D- you were in the Rising Tide- and Coulson and Ward offered you information- remember?" She said desperately. "Do you?"

Skye was very, very still. She ripped off her helmet. Wide brown eyes stared in horror and shock at Maria. "Oh my gosh," she stammered. "The mi- I forgot." She paled. "I didn't know. I forgot. I couldn't-"

"Never mind that," Maria interrupted brusquely. "Where's Phil and the others?"

"I-" Skye tried to shake herself out of her state. That was all Maria needed. "Let's go!" They started running.

They found Phil Coulson in a Hawaiian shirt, sipping a cocktail. He was lounging on a deck chair under an artificial sun, apparently having had a nice bungee jump and then diving into the pool. "Phil!" Skye shouted. "Phil!" Maria bellowed.

"Oh- hey guys." Phil beamed. "I just bungee-jumped! Man, I never knew I could make that at my age-'

Maria interrupted him. "Where's Grant?"

"Oh- he's in the slide."

" _WOOOHOOOOO!"_ They glanced up just in time to see Grant Ward in his swimming trunks, zooming down the giant slide and landing with a ginormous splash into the pool. Maria stared.

"Agent Ward!" She shouted. She was really losing her patience.

"Die!" She heard Leo Fitz's voice shouted. "Die, filthy, nasty-"

"Ha! You see that? In your face!" Jemma Simmons cheered.

Maria gestured to them. "Take care of that, will you?" She asked Skye. Skye went over to them.

"Phil." She grabbed him by his shoulders. Grant got out of the pool. "Phil Coulson!"

"Hey, slow down," Phil chuckled. "What's the fuss?"

He said the wrong thing. "What's the fuss?!" Maria screeched. "You entered the Lotus Hotel over three days ago, with your team and you never went out." Phil couldn't hold back his chortles.

Grant chuckled with him.

Maria steamed. "Phil Coulson- you get your a** back on Planet Earth, you hear me?!" She bellowed. "You died- Fury sent you to Tahiti!" She screeched. "You got to a team with Grant Ward, Skye from Rising Tide, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons- also known as Fitz-Simmons!" She shook him again. The dazed, carefree smile on Coulson's face slowly faded. "You were sent to the Lotus Hotel to check on information about Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Nico and Bianca di Angelo and what they were doing here- those were your orders!"

Phil froze in shock. Nearby Grant also froze. Skye had also shaken him and Fitz-Simmons out of their stupor.

Phil ripped off his sunglasses. "Oh my go-" he never finished the sentence. "How- what-" he paled.

Grant Ward paled as well. He stood there, in shock, staring at Maria Hill. "How long have we been here?" Phil whispered.

"Over three days," she replied grimly.

"No- that's impossible- we were here for around an hour!" Grant burst out. "It's May 30th!"

Maria shook her head. "No," she said. "It's June 3rd."

"But that's impossible!" Skye blurted. "We were only here for an hour- look!" She pointed at her watch. "We came in here about six-thirty pm-" she gabbled. "And now it's only seven-"

"Yeah- seven pm on June 3rd!" Maria shot back. "You were in here for three days!"

Phil stared gob-smacked. "We were in here for an hour."

"Hey- you!" Grant grabbed the shoulder of a passer-by. This guy had permed and gelled hair, and wore mustard-yellow bell-bottoms and a red t-shirt with black piping. "What's the date today?"

"Huh?" The kid looked confused for a moment. "April 6th… 1977."

" _WHAT?!"_ Grant drew back. "You can't be serious!"

"Hey man, bad vibes. I got a game going." And with that the guy breezed off.

"Wait- seriously." Grant grabbed his shoulder again. "Hey, what's the big deal man!" he said laughing.

"Your name," Grant managed. "Darrin." He smirked. "Darrin Kyle."

Grant paled. He stared at the others. "And you were born on…?"

"1965- why?"

Grant was positively white. So was Maria.

"Right- we gotta move." He grabbed Darrin by the hand and pulled him out.

* * *

"YOU WHAT?!" Fury gaped, speechless like he'd never been in his life.

"We were in there for about an hour," Grant said through gritted teeth. "Or felt like it."

"No- you were in there for three whole days!" Fury shot up from behind his desk. "And you're telling me you've been indoor bungee-jumping, sunbathing and having the whole theme park, casino-slash Universal Studios treatment?" He sounded disbelieving.

"Sir," Maria interrupted. "It's true. We've brought someone else."

She opened a laptop she'd placed on his desk and the footage started playing.

"What's your name?"

"Darrin," the kid from the casino stated. "Darrin Kyle."

"Okay, Darrin. Where're you from?"

"Milwaukee, Wisconsin," came the reply.

"And you were born on…?"

"April 6th 1965." He said slowly. "We went to Vegas for my birthday. Visited my grandparents. Me and my pals snuck out after the party ended. We weren't supposed to-" he looked guilty. "But we wanted to. We took a walk, explored the sights, and saw the casino. They invited us right in."

Fury's eye had widened. "Did you get DNA identification?" He asked, abruptly.

"Already did, sir." Maria replied. "Darrin Kyle went missing on March 6th 1977. His family went nuts trying to find him and his friends- including his cousin. And now, decades after the seventies, he's been found- aged thirteen."

Fury stared. He looked back at the screen.

"His mom's still around." She admitted. "Might as well send a S.H.I.E.L.D team to-" Fury rose a hand.

"So, wait a minute," he interrupted. "This hotel… Freezes people?"

Coulson shook his head. "Sir, we weren't frozen. We stayed there for nearly an hour- it turned out to be three days."

"Yeah, and the STRIKE team came on seven-thirty on June 3rd," Maria said grimly. "We exited on June 5th. Two days later."

Fury gaped. "Is that why I couldn't get a hold of you?"

"Yeah," Grant said slowly. "It must have been." They looked at each other grimly.

Fury was very still. "What happened to the STRIKE Team and the rest of the agents?"

"We pulled them out," Maria said slowly. "Didn't took long- thank God." She heaved a sigh of relief. "Apart from the mechanical spiders' injuries, no one was seriously injured, but the agents that were bitten or scratched- they're in some sort of high. Like a drug haze, only much stronger and we can't seem to find the antidote. They're being treated in the infirmary, but-" she shook her head.

Fury sank back. "The hotel staff?"

"We shot the manager," Maria said, helpfully. "But the STRIKE forces started hallucinating and we had to get them out as quickly as possible- they were seriously feverish. There weren't enough emergency services for them, and we had to get them to the nearest hospital. Even then, it was serious." Fury was unblinking. "Once we pulled them out, we had ordered our team to secure the perimeter, but then when I came back, they turned out to be unconscious and they couldn't remember anything that happened once they woke up."

"And the staff?" Fury demanded, slowly, dangerously. "What happened to them?"

Maria took a deep breath. "We couldn't find the hotel."

"What?!"

"We went back to the hotel," Grant supplied, grimly. "At its exact location. And it had gone."

"That's impossible." Fury bit. "The witnesses-"

"All of whom swore up and down that there had never been a hotel and casino at this site, had never heard of a Lotus Hotel and Casino," Maria continued. "And we checked. There was a construction site. No hotel, no casino, not even a creepy motel. According to the city council, the site had been operating for years- five years to be exact. There had never been a hotel and a casino there, until they started building one, and it hasn't even been finished. They even showed us the official documents." She handed them to Fury.

The director stared at them. "The hotel and casino was in operation during 1941," he said slowly.

"But the city council, the call-girls and escorts, the Vegas Bunny girls, the cab drivers, bellhops and staff of other casinos and hotels don't know it- even the neighbouring ones," Phil said slowly. "As if their minds have been wiped blank."

"Impossible!" Fury slammed the papers onto his desk. "We have the pictures! We have the proof!"

"Well, we can go back there now, only that when we go to the exact site, it's not _there."_ Phil emphasised.

"Our operatives did a sweep of Vegas and it seems we can't find anything," Maria said grimly. "Not even on our maps."

Fury stared at Coulson and Grant. "What do you remember?"

Grant shook his head. "We went in there… Saw the giant waterslide, going round the elevator, coming down from forty floors in the lobby. Saw a bungee-jumping bridge, climbing wall, and a bunch of other cool stuff like restaurants and bars. Lots of video games too. It was pretty amazing, like a theme park and a resort as well as a casino. Looked expensive. Some girls came up-" his eyes bugged.

"Damn," he whispered. "Phil- the flowers."

Phil stared. "What _flowers?"_ Fury asked suspiciously.

"The flowers- the ones that we ate, they offered to us- the lotus blossoms!" Grant blurted. "We ate them and they-" he shook his head. "They must've contaminated them with drugs or something, 'cause they were the best things we've ever tasted. And after that, we couldn't-" he looked helplessly at his superior.

"We couldn't remember anything," Phil finished. "The reason for why we were there. I also smelled lotus blossoms in the lobby- the hotel was perfumed with them."

"They gave you flowers to eat?" Fury questioned.

"Yeah, and they tasted good." Grant said, his brow furrowing. "The best things I've ever had."

"Me too," Phil said softly. "I couldn't remember tasting anything so good. After that, I felt like I was on a sugar rush- I was on high."

"How many did you consume?" Fury was almost afraid of the answer.

"Eight or nine-" Grant frowned. "Though probably more."

"Those waitresses kept popping up with more flowers," Phil confessed. "And I couldn't resist."

"None of us could," Grant pointed.

Fury could only shake his head, aghast.

* * *

"We've got trouble." Nico looked grimly as Malcolm popped up out of nowhere.

"It's S.H.I.E.L.D," he said darkly. "They found the Lotus Hotel and Casino. And it seems they've taken an interest in you guys as well."

* * *

 **Yeah, Aglaia appears in here as well- but don't be fooled. She is _NOT _the same Aglaia (at all) as she is in the _Second Trojan War_ series. Or my other non-PJO story- that's an _ENTIRELY_ different Aglaia altogther- even more than the PJO-Avengers ones. Alex is also far more complex and more of an anti-hero than anything. You really don't know where he- or she- is coming from. Things are going to collide pretty quick, but they're going to be even more complex and interesting- or I'm going to make it that way. The action will be pretty intense- I do love battle scenes, I admit. There will be similarities to the characters in the _Second Trojan War_ series but this is an entirely different storyline, which is far more complex and hopefully less predictable and more interesting. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer : I don't own PJO/HoO or the Avengers. You don't need me to tell you the real geniuses are Rick Riordan and Marvel's creators. **

* * *

**To Guest Reviwer 1: I'm not giving away any spoilers- sorry- just wait and read.**

 **To Guest Reviewer 2: THANK YOU!**

 **To Matt: S.H.I.E.L.D is frustratingly paranoid, but surprisingly, they're not without compassion. Just wait and see what happens the chapter after this with the Avengers!**

 **To actionliker: Well, here's the next chapter, but I'm sorry there isn't as much action here as there is the chapter after this! Sorry! But I promise there will be battle scenes and a lot of excitement!**

* * *

Fury sat on his desk, mulling over what had happened at the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Vegas.

Lotus… Phil and his team mentioned eating those flowers, and saying they were the best things they'd ever tasted. When the infirmary tested them, they found residues of some kind of chemical- a really powerful chemical compound. They didn't think it was LSD but it looked really strong. Unfortunately, they weren't able to test it due to the fact that it wore itself really fast. Even when extracted they quickly vanished, leaving no trace behind, not even a long-term addiction. However, Fury was thankful that courtesy of Fitz-Simmons and Agent Ward's quick thinking, they had managed to save a sample. Now he was researching it.

Lotus… Otherwise known as the water-lily. A sacred, famously fragrant flower held as a symbol of purity, beauty and other things in many cultures and religions. But in this case, what happened to Agent Coulson and his team, as well as Darrin Kyle, was not natural, purifying or in any way a spiritual experience- just a drug high. And while opium from poppies were used in ancient rituals, as Fury had researched, lotus blossoms were not. In Asian countries like China and Korea, their petals were used as garnish, their roots were also a delicacy. The latter country also made an herbal tea from the white petals of the dried lotus called _Yeonkkotcha_ 연꽃차. The rhizome was eaten mainly in Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean cuisines, along with other countries. Even in America you could eat a tasty dish with lotus ingredients in Chinatown. Rich in dietary fibre, vitamin C, potassium and a whole other bunch of minerals, they were also very low in saturated fat.

On the whole, not a bad thing to be eating. But what little the scientists managed to get, was that the chemical found in the lotus blossoms they had filched (or rather ripped out of Agents Fitz-Simmons' hands), did not in any way seem to be synthetic. Nor was it identifiable via tests, such as in drugs like cocaine and heroin. It seemed like it had come from the plant itself, exuding intoxicating pheromones, a chemical which intoxicated any animal or human which smelt it. The taste itself, according to the agents, was marvellous. So while these flowers were definitely _Nelumbo nucifera_ , otherwise known as lotus or water-lilies, they weren't like any breed of plant which the scientists at S.H.I.E.L.D or anywhere else had ever studied.

Fury's frown deepened as he turned his attention onto another matter and studied the file in front of him.

* * *

Percy Jackson. Supposedly the boy was a lot more trouble than Fury himself had ever thought he'd be, and he was well-known for sniffing out trouble.900 After disappearing for months, he was spotted in Canada with two other friends. Their names were Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang.

He decided to speak with the Avengers about this. It wasn't going to be easy for them, but this was something they should know about.

"Wait- you're _serious?"_ Tony gaped. "These flowers?"

"Unidentified, but most definitely natural," Fury sighed. "No LSD, no Ecstasy- nothing we've ever encountered. But definitely strong."

"What about the original chemical composition itself?" Natasha questioned. "Is S.H.I.E.L.D able to replicate it to find an antidote?"

"No," Fury replied. "It appears to be natural. Which is strange, because despite that being lotuses, lotus blossoms don't have hallucinatory properties-"

"Well, if they did, Chinese restaurants would have to look for a new ingredient," Tony pointed. "But what's this about Percy Jackson?" Of course it would be something about this guy.

Fury sighed and rubbed his head. He'd had a tiring day.

He threw the files in front. "You'll want to see this." Natasha picked one up. They all peered at it with interest. "These are Percy Jackson's other companions."

"Frank Zhang, born 5th June 1994, Vancouver, Canada." Fury declared. "Father unknown-" "Yet again," Steve muttered in disgust. "Mother: Captain Emily Zhang, a Canadian soldier of Chinese descent." Steve looked mildly surprised- but only mildly. "Her parents and grandparents migrated from China, from the village of _Li Jien_ , in the sixties, set up an import-export business in Canada. Their business has been largely successful. By the time Frank was born, only two members of his immediate family were living: his mother and grandmother.

"His mother had met his father during a tour of duty in Afghanistan. She never mentioned who he was, only she had a kid. She was a good soldier, Emily Zhang," he said softly. "S.H.I.E.L.D would've definitely taken an interest in her- only she died in 2010 during another tour of duty in Afghanistan, during a botched raid. She was helping her fellow Canadians and their American and British allies to escape. She held the enemy off and died fighting."

Steve was silent. "She was a great soldier," he said softly.

"Yeah," Fury agreed. "But what I wanted to talk to you about- the enemy they were fighting had ties to the Ten Rings."

Tony nearly jumped out of his skin. "Wha- you don't mean," he spluttered. Tony Stark actually went pale.

"As in the guys who kidnapped you and tried to get you to build your Jericho missile for them?" Fury looked grim. "Yeah. The raid was botched from the start: new evidence found suggests that the Canadians had a double agent. A double agent who suggested that Emily Zhang and her squadron was the one sent to assist the Americans and the British in a tight situation."

Clint's eyes widened. Bruce looked on in shock. "They targeted her?"

"It appears so," Fury appeared aged, for some reason. "In any case, she died, her son was left orphaned and living with his grandmother. Yet, not long after his mom was buried, he disappeared. By April 2010, he was in San Francisco- with Percy Jackson."

The Avengers gaped at him. Tony stared, unblinking.

"There's more," he warned them. "Six weeks after Captain Zhang's death, another teenager appeared with her son and Percy Jackson. Her name is Hazel Levesque."

He threw a black-and-white photo out in front of them. "This picture was taken in 1941, New Orleans," he confessed. "And this one, more recently."

It was of an African-American and Creole descent; an undeniably beautiful girl with rich, satiny cocoa-brown skin, curly cinnamon-brown hair tinged with gold, and strange golden eyes. That was a colour photograph taken recently. But the black-and-white photograph taken in the 1940s, showed an undisputed resemblance. That was Hazel Levesque.

Natasha's eyes bugged and she looked up at Fury. "Anything to do with the Lotus Casino?" She demanded.

"It doesn't look like Hazel has ever been to Las Vegas at any point in time," Fury said dryly. "But like Nico di Angelo- and you, Captain Rogers- she was definitely born prior to World War Two: on December 17th 1928, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother was Marie Levesque, otherwise known as Queen Marie, a Voodoo priestess and a fortune teller. She dealt with tarot cards, crystal balls, tea leaves, gris-gris and séance- the whole nine yards. Her father was again, unknown, but she went to Saint Agnes' school for girls- and befriended a kid in the neighbourhood named Sammy Valdez."

Natasha's eyes sharpened. "Relation to Leo Valdez?"

"His great-grandfather, according to genealogy experts," Fury replied. "Sad to say, he was her only friend. Though observers described her as a sweet girl, her mother's reputation wasn't a good one. They called her a witch and then she started selling diamonds."

"Diamonds?" Bruce interjected.

"Gold and jewels," came the response. "Weird things started to happen. "When a gold nugget was sold to a jeweller's by Marie Levesque, it was made into a bracelet. The person who brought the bracelet, had his arm cut off with the bracelet attached. Normally, people would've rubbed off that incident, but more stuff started to happen with the diamonds and emeralds, rubies, sapphires, gold and silver nuggets that Marie Levesque had sold. People started saying they were cursed."

"So if I brought a ring for my girlfriend and she loses a finger, I'll definitely know who to blame." Tony muttered. "They actually _believed_ that?"

"She was a Voodoo priestess," Fury pointed. "And a single mother in the twenties, thirties and early forties. I don't think people back then were inclined to be genuinely helpful and kind to her or her kid." Steve winced.

"Anything on the jewels themselves?" Natasha interrupted.

"Nothing's been found," he stated. "But rumours suggest that the valuables were found by Marie's daughter, Hazel, ever since she was just a kid."

Tony snorted. "Yeah, right. Cause kids find diamonds in playgrounds _all_ the time."

"Nevertheless," Fury cut in. "On Hazel's birthday in 1941, Marie made an abrupt move out of New Orleans. Neighbours suggest that she had been behaving erratically at that time. She never had anything good to say to anyone, and even her daughter preferred to spend time outside of the house, even if it meant being harassed by the neighbourhood kids."

Steve looked upset. He always hated those kinds of kids. Whoever this kid Hazel might be, she didn't deserve to be so unhappy at home and outside.

"So they left and ended up in Seward, Alaska," Fury continued. "Where Marie worked as a waitress and cleaner. She dropped all kinds of Voodoo and fortune telling, and the family lived in extreme poverty. Finally, reports suggest that some uninhabited island off the coast, near the Hubbard Glacier, and the whole sea and coast around the island were suffering from tremors, like earthquakes. There were floods and other catastrophes. Finally, Marie and Hazel Levesque's bodies were found. They'd died."

Natasha's eyes widened in shock. "But then-" she managed.

"Yeah," Fury said. "She was seen in April 2010 with Percy Jackson and Frank Zhang in San Francisco- a place where she'd never been to in the twentieth century. Facial recognition identified them. CCTV and satellite imagery tracked them.

"According to Zhang's grandmother, she'd sent the boy to summer camp to help him cope with the loss of his mother," Fury continued. "She never mentioned where he went- never indicated he went to the United States. But they were spotted in Multnomah County, in Portland, Oregon, and around the Jimmy Carter Library. Then they ended up in Vancouver, Canada, at the Zhang family mansion. Frantic neighbours called the police, calling about gangs and thugs surrounding their house, trespassing on private property. They shouted death threats to Frank Zhang and his grandmother, and some rumours-" Fury's mouth twisted. "Suggested cannibalism."

They stared blankly at him.

"Either way, the garden's irrigation system exploded and either the thugs fled or were killed on spot. They must've fled 'cause we've found no bodies. Nothing on the grandmother either, though the whole mansion was destroyed.

"But the three kids must've made it, because they were seen in a nearby airspace, used by the Zhang family for their business, and flew to Anchorage, where they took a train to Seward, the site of Hazel Levesque's old home. Unfortunately, the train was destroyed- totally wrecked, and by the looks of it, attacked. There were no survivors, apart from those three. And for the life of us-" he looked frustrated. "We can't figure out who attacked them!"

"Nothing on satellite imagery?" Natasha questioned.

"Nothing." Fury replied blankly. "But they made it to Seward, anyway, where they visited Hazel's old house- well, house is a generous term with how rough and how little the family were living. But they were seen going around the Hubbard Glacier, and crossing the border to Canada, with some heavy junk in tow."

"What?" Tony sputtered.

"That and an elephant." Fury said. Tony, Clint and even Bruce and Steve looked ready to laugh. "Funny, cause there were no zoos, or breakouts nearby.

"Either way, they must've made their way back to the United States," the director continued dryly. "Because Jason Grace, Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase were seen in Salt Lake, Utah. I don't know how they got there. Reports have it that they must've flown, but there were no aircraft- private or commercial- associated with them. They were also in Topeka, Kansas, and this woman in Atlanta, mentioned speaking to them about salt water-"

" _Salt water?"_ Steve asked.

"Yes, Rogers. Salt water. She told them there was an aquarium. The aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia is, after all, the biggest in the world. She gave them some brownies, a jar of peach preserves and money for a taxi ride to the Aquarium."

"Nice lady," Tony laughed. "You don't meet people like those as a billionaire."

Fury ignored him. "All we know is that a tank broke after Percy Jackson and Frank Zhang were spotted going inside. And then Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase and Hazel Levesque were in Charleston, talking to some Southern Belle in a crinoline."

"This story just gets weirder and weirder," Natasha muttered. Clint couldn't disagree with her.

"For an international organisation with high level tech, usually courtesy of you, Mr. Stark-" Fury pointed dryly. "The pictures were damnably blurry. We can't even get any facial recognition on who the Southern Belle was, or if there was anyone dressing up like a Southern Belle in Fort Sumpter at that time."

Tony raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"As it turns out, Fort Sumpter was the last place the seven- and Nico di Angelo- were seen in Northern America," Fury explained. "The next time they appeared, they were in Europe- they ended up in Rome. Some satellite imagery showed them sailing on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, but the name of that ship is blurred _again-_ and we don't even know _what_ kind of ship."

Fury paused to take a deep breath. "We also don't know how they got there so quickly," he admitted. "Normally cruise ships, and even naval vessels take over five times the amount of time to get from one destination to another- and that's not as far as these kids have travelled. They were in Rome."

"Rome?" Natasha and Clint spoke at the same time. "Why Rome?"

"Why anything?" Clint asked dryly. "Jackson, Grace and Tristan McLean's daughter were seen in and around the Colosseum, but somehow, though they were looking around, it didn't look like they were tourists. Normally, reports of a scuffle at a historical site would've attracted a lot of attention- particularly from the police- but we got nothing."

The Avengers were alarmed. "The next time, we see them, was in Greece."

"Hold on-" Steve held out his hand. _"Greece?"_

"Greece," Fury confirmed. "They circled the whole Peloponnese Peninsula on their weird-as boat-"

"Sounds like a private vessel," Natasha remarked.

"-And ended up in Athens." Fury continued. "They were in Olympia- the site of the ancient Olympic Games- the very first ones which our modern ones were modelled after. Now, Olympia gets a lot of tourists, including at the ancient stadium, but these guys weren't taking pictures, or anything of that kind.

"Oh, so they went on vacation, without going on vacation," Tony smirked.

"Frank Zhang was spotted in Pylos- with a whole lot of birds," Fury remarked. "Sometimes, we couldn't even see him amidst all those birds." He shook his head. "Funny how the images of these kids just keep getting blurrier and blurrier, by the second."

Tony was serious for once. "Can you hand 'em over? JARVIS and I might just be able to make something out of it."

Looking far more aged and worn, Fury waved a hand in consent.

"They were in Sparta-"

"Oh, come on, seriously?" Tony sounded amused. "Tristan McLean's daughter visited the set or the actual city site- the city of macho men-"

"Yes, that." Fury was irritated at how quickly he was able to go from being serious to his normal, chirpy self. "They were seen around the olive oil museum-" Tony snorted. "Very Spartan." "But Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean were mostly spotted at the temple of Ares."

"Like the god of war?" Steve frowned thoughtfully.

"Yes, the Greek god of war. Ruins. Some kind of catastrophe, the girls ran out as fast as they could, looked like there had been a scuffle of some kind- and this crazy dude came running after them, but didn't last long. There wasn't much in the temple, last we checked. But there was a pretty big statue of Phobos."

"Phobos?" Steve interjected.

"The Ancient Greek god of fear," Natasha explained. "It's where we get out modern word, 'Phobia' from."

Tony smirked, Natasha shot at him: "Stark, don't you dare!"

Tony raised his hands. "I wasn't."

"That's highly debatable," she retorted. Natasha looked back at Fury. "Where did they head to next?"

"The Aegean Sea," Fury pointed. "Which should've been catastrophic, because a giant sea storm was spotted by our satellites."

"And they survived?" Tony asked sarcastically. "No, really?"

Wisely, Fury chose to ignore him. "They stopped over at the island of Mykonos, and Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang were seen talking to a couple of people- only we don't know who the heck they are. Like that Southern Belle in Charleston, we have a very hazy, blurry and confusing image at best. In some cases, the picture was cut.

The Avengers all frowned.

"The pictures keep getting more and more blurry?" Steve questioned. He knew that photography and satellite imagery was way more advanced than they had ever been, he still didn't know that much about them as compared to the others, but he was certain they were supposed to be better than that.

Particularly if they had been designed by Tony Stark. Steve shot a look at Tony who was frowning intently, all traces of humour gone. Irritation was evident on his features and he knew he was going to be hounding for answers very soon.

"Where did they go next?" He asked.

"Epidaurus- an ancient city on the Argolid Peninsula- it's part of a new city now, but they didn't go to any of the modern sites."

"Interesting," Natasha mused slowly. She looked at Clint.

"What are they, historical tourists?" Hawkeye frowned. "Ever since leaving the United States, they've only been to ancient Greek and Roman sites. The Colosseum, the temple of Ares, the stadium at Olympia…

"Yeah, it's getting weirder and weirder," Clint admitted. "These kids don't seem like history nerds."

"Well, you never know," Bruce Banner shrugged. "Has anyone ever taken a look at their grades, favourite subjects and all?"

"Well, if they are, why would they go to the world's biggest aquarium in Atlanta?" Natasha pointed out.

"In any case, they were at the Acropolis in Athens," Fury picked up the conversation. "There were photos of some big riot- but then all our cameras went black."

"Whoa, seriously?" Now Tony looked angry. "Who is responsible for maintaining this equipment?"

"We've all looked- even members of your team, Stark, personally trained by you to repair, maintain and keep high-level equipment in optimum condition," Fury replied. "And nothing was wrong. It wasn't so much the equipment itself as what was going on down there."

Natasha leaned forwards, alarm barely visible in her eyes. "And what was going on down there?"

"How could these kids possibly have interfered with your equipment all the way down there- when they were busy travelling no less?" Bruce asked.

"We don't know." Fury said softly.

"But this isn't all. There's a whole lot more, we just couldn't make sense of it… Yet."

"You couldn't make sense of it?" Steve sounded baffled. "As of this moment, we have more immediate things to worry about." Fury said grimly.

"Two of our agents have gone missing, they were keeping tabs on Percy Jackson- reports have it they were trailing Nico di Angelo to Percy's apartment where he met with Ms. Jackson, Mr. Blofis and their toddler daughter. He left the apartment about half-an-hour later and headed for the Queensboro bridge which was nearby. Then he vanished. The agents couldn't find him anywhere, and they had scanned the whole area. So they went back to their apartment and that was the last time we had ever seen them."

"Seriously- who are these kids?" Tony spluttered. "Regular teens don't have private jets, or ships, whatever they are. I don't think even celebrity dads buy that kind of stuff exclusively for their kids. Well, mine wouldn't dream of it. Not without attracting a whole lot of attention."

"And people don't just vanish into thin air," Steve pointed sceptically. "Did you check the agents' apartment?"

"We did," Fury admitted. "And found… Nothing. Not even their bodies."

Curses and groans all around.

* * *

"What do you mean they attacked the Lotus Hotel?" Percy asked incredulously.

"It means they sent agents there- agents who never came out, until a whole strike team came and practically dragged them out. Thanks to Hephaestus' inventions, his mechanical spiders-" Annabeth grimaced. "-injected a toxin in them- kinda like the ones they use to keep people in there. Now, the whole hotel's been moved, location-wise." Nico said, almost casually. He looked at Alex.

"I guess they've found you," the latter calmly said.

"Not yet," Nico pointed.

"But it's a matter of _when,_ instead of _if,"_ Alex pointed back. "So you've moved hotels. You told me you were the subject of a nationwide manhunt when you were twelve," he looked at Percy. He was referring to the time when Percy told him how he discovered he was a demigod.

"Mortals may be blind at times, but they aren't stupid." He said, eyes darkening. "Sure, isolate a few incidents and they'd come up with their own 'reasonable' explanations for that. The gas main that ruptured during an earthquake, a crazy kidnapper, but put them all together, and if any of you have been seen at the scene of the crime-"

Annabeth interrupted. "We haven't. Not all of them."

"Are you sure? I did shoot down a CCTV camera on the way here," he said slowly. "Cameras which by now, would have recorded footage of us fighting. They might not know what those things were but…" He trailed off.

Chiron sat up sharply. "What's this?" He demanded, looking back and forth between the campers.

Percy sighed as he had to explain to Chiron what had happened. Chiron looked alarmed.

"So they've seen it," he whispered. "Knowing Tony Stark's reputation, that technology would have ensured S.H.I.E.L.D would have known by now."

Annabeth's grey eyes widened and she was in a panic. Piper and Jason too.

"Wait a minute Chiron," Percy warned. "I don't think Tony Stark goes about repairing every CCTV camera in the United States- or the whole world. If I were a billionaire and an Avenger, I would have other things to do, spare time included."

"True," Alex agreed. "But an organisation such as S.H.I.E.L.D- particularly an international organisation of that level, would have access to all the CCTV cameras in the world. They've probably picked it up, or else they're picking it up and processing those images as we speak, license plates, type of van, et cetera." He sounded almost nonchalant about this.

"I have worked in liaison with spy agencies before. S.H.I.E.L.D is a step up, but I understand how it works."

The campers gaped at him. Chiron started from his stupor. "Ah, well, in that case, what do you know about S.H.I.E.L.D?" He asked.

"Firstly, it stands for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division- somehow, I think they made it so that it deliberately spelled _shield._ Based in the United States, headquarters are in the Triskelion, on Theodore Roosevelt Island, located on the Potomac River between Washington and Virginia." He gave them a look. "However, they have bases everywhere throughout the globe, on every continent and island, and undercover operators. The CIA and MI6 operatives among others believe that to be promoted to S.H.I.E.L.D is not merely a step-up and a dream come true, but it's such a good dream, it's hardly realistic, at least most of the time." He shrugged. "Same with every soldier in the Special Operations division throughout the world. But it's like saying that you've suddenly in the running to become king of the whole world- it's infinitely simpler to win the lottery."

"Shame." Leo Valdez popped out of nowhere. "I'd like to be the king of the whole world- not literally, of course," he added hastily looking up at the skies.

Alex raised an eyebrow, but continued. "What makes them so unique isn't merely their level of skill, technology or their size. Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, they're responsible for maintaining world security. That means, international counter-terrorism measures, extra-governmental military- so basically, they're independent armies, navies and air forces, intelligence agencies, computer, chemical and nuclear scientists like CERN, of their own, protecting everyone from any perceived threat, no matter how tiny and microscopic." He looked at them. "They're considered the greatest military power in the whole world- at least counting it by the mortal terms. The rumours about nuclear warheads have never been confirmed, but high-tech missiles, explosives, chemicals and weaponry, are true enough. And _that's_ without adding the Avengers to the equation.

"Independent of any government, they instead answer directly to the World Security Council- an international council formed from politicians from some of the world's most powerful countries- and run by Director Nicholas Fury, guy in an eyepatch, though _technically,_ that last bit's not information your average joe should have." He admitted. "Famously advanced, large, powerful and notoriously secretive, as always, one of its founders was Howard Stark, Iron Man's father and an ex-girlfriend of Captain America- again, _not_ supposed to be privy to that particular bit of information."

"Then how exactly are you privy to that information?" Jason asked, baffled.

"Simple answer: they offered me a position," Alex said, as if saying someone had simply offered him free ice cream samples or canapés.

"WHAT?!" Some of them exclaimed.

"Yup, I turned it down."

"Why?" Percy blurted.

"Because I didn't trust them, you guys might have picked it up, but I have issues trusting people- except my own soldiers." He said grimly.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You came with them easily enough." He nodded to four of the Heroes.

"I wasn't supposed to."

Percy stared. "You told us-"

"I lied," Alex said, flatly. "I had no intention of coming to New York with you- at least not until S.H.I.E.L.D operatives showed up and began following us. Then there was that gunfight- you might have forgotten about that little scuffle. I couldn't fire a weapon without attracting more S.H.I.E.L.D members, possibly their STRIKE division." He looked irritated. "The ticket and visa was meant for some other part of the US- before I changed it. You were good fighters, but these guys would have caught you- they were _that_ smart, _that_ observant, _that_ quick and _that_ strong. You underestimated them simply because they were mortals with a short lifespan- a big mistake. Mortals weren't supposed to see gods in New York, but they did. They're aware of supernatural activity now, and make no mistake- S.H.I.E.L.D. is like a learning robot. The Avengers too, they store every bit of data in." He gave them a look.

"It's one thing to fight monsters with Ancient warfare, swords and shields, bows, arrows, spears and those kinds of things. But I did shoot down that CCTV camera for you, and even then, it might be too late. You guys- I have to tell you this, _before_ you go charging out on any mission to stop them- are either just too reckless, too impatient or too arrogant to believe these guys are any threat- and they are." He made a face. "I thought hubris was a sin according to the Greeks and Romans."

Annabeth flinched at that, but if Alex noticed (which he probably did), he gave no indication. "If you didn't trust us, why did you come?" Piper asked.

"Because you needed saving, that's one thing. You had no idea what you were up against, _I_ easily caught you out, you can bet S.H.I.E.L.D will do the same. Plus, I was starting to wonder if S.H.I.E.L.D was going to come after me as well. It's not a matter of trust- I've fought against extreme odds and in the toughest situations- it's a matter of mutual self-interest." He explained.

Chiron looked at him and studied him intently. He seemed to be reading and analysing this new 'pupil' of his.

Only he wasn't your average pupil. If he _was_ a pupil at all.

"Do _you_ have any cameras installed around this whole area?" Alex asked Chiron.

Chiron sighed. "Not me." He pointedly looked at Leo.

" _Welllll….._ A bit." Leo said sheepishly.

"Leo!" That was Piper.

"Actually, that's good." Alex cut her off. "Someone might actually just be sensible and logical enough to save us. Where's the perimeter? May I see the footage?"

"Uh, sure." Leo led them all off.

* * *

"Okay, so here we have… That camera," Leo poked at the security or speed camera that the Heroes and Alex had brought with them after reviewing their defences. "Well, based on what I can see, it looks like a regular, old CCTV camera, except that it's not."

"Oh?"

"See here- this wire," he pointed. "High quality- real high quality. Yeah, I know, but CCTV cameras are around more than you think. This is real expensive stuff. It's only one wire but it connects to-" and he kept chattering on, the others barely or not understanding at all.

Jake Mason's eyes darkened. "Spy agencies."

"No- S.H.I.E.L.D," Alex corrected gently. "I told you they had access to just about every CCTV camera in the globe. Satellites too, they could easily track us from above."

The demigods paled. "I'd forgotten about that," Leo said in a very small voice.

"Satellites?" Calypso frowned. "Machinery above the earth's atmosphere?" Alex raised his eyebrow, but did not comment on her observation.

"Yes. Meaning they could have easily tracked us." He stated. "Or bugging. In fact, I would be surprised if someone hadn't picked something already."

"But _how?!"_ Percy exploded.

"How do you think?" Alex countered. "Explosions, battles, natural disaster- don't you think those attract a lot of attention? Plus, we live in the digital age. Smartphones, Twitter, Facebook- you name it. These things can circle the globe in seconds, if not milliseconds. Mankind has gone very far. Names, birth records, death records, heck, even your old high school test results and university results too. Everything about your parents, how many times you've been treated in hospital, every trip you took abroad- S.H.I.E.L.D would have access to it. In fact, they may even have your individual bank account details." He murmured.

Annabeth looked sickened and pale. She glanced at Percy. "How did we not see this?" She whispered.

"I don't know," that was Jason, whispering his response.

"They were one step ahead, Wise Girl," Percy said softly. "They were good, but we didn't know it. We didn't see it."

"You need to adapt, otherwise you'll die," Alex pointed.

"That will be all," Chiron sighed. "We must call a meeting of Cabin Counsellors- and you, Alex, must attend."

Alex inclined his head, gracious and polite for once.

* * *

"And that's what happened." Percy finished recounting his story.

The others stared at him in horror. Many of them were pale-faced and looked sick.

"They've discovered us," one of them whispered.

"Maybe, or they're still on their way," Piper said softly. Jason's jaw tightened and his hand found hers. "It's only a matter of time."

Clarisse's hand tightened into a fist. "We have to stop them."

"And then what? You intend to barge into the world's most secure location- the White House and Kremlin included- charge in with your weapons- which I've heard can't even harm mortals- and demand them to surrender?" Alex raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Yes, that sounds like a recipe for success."

"Who are you?" Clarisse demanded.

"He's the guy that saved our lives," Percy defended. "And he was the one who discovered just about everything."

"Gun fights, sword fights, I've been trained," Alex said idly. "Lieutenant Colonel Alexander McDermott, of the _Sciathán Fiannóglaigh an Airm,_ otherwise known as the SFA, the Special Operations Division of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Ireland." His eyebrow rose again.

Clarisse stared. "Oh."

"Wait-" Malcolm- Annabeth's second-in-command (those were permitted for the meeting too). "You're a soldier?"

"Yes," Alex replied smoothly.

"In the… Olympus, that's- Alexander McDermott- were you by any chance that officer who almost single-handedly saved entire villages and towns in the Kurdish regions from terrorist armies?" Malcolm blurted. "And…" He couldn't even finish. His eyes bugged.

Annabeth started. "What? How the heck-I never knew that!"

Malcolm stared. "Annabeth- he's one of the most decorated officers in the world- one of the best commandoes in any Special Operations division, _the_ best in Ireland. One of the greatest in Europe. How can you _not_ know his name?"

Everybody's heads whipped towards Alex, many practically gaping.

Annabeth opened her mouth, but was unable to say anything.

"Yes," Alex said dryly. "But now you know how S.H.I.E.L.D managed to take an interest in me, until I said I wasn't interested- I didn't trust them."

"And they let you go?" Jake asked in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I kept them guessing." Alex stated. "Kept them under the impression I was going to accept someday, but I was still biding my time. I didn't trust them, but I have ways of evading them."

"Then you can tell us how to do that," Katie insisted. Alex shook his head.

"Frankly, unless your esteemed mothers and fathers are ever going to wipe the whole universe's minds blank, then I'm afraid we can't." He said, bluntly. "It's already been done, you can't turn back the clock. The Avengers included one god from Norse mythology, he had a brother who led the invasion of New York-"

"Yeah, and prevented us from entering the fight and defending our own territory," Clarisse growled. "When his brother attacked _us."_

"In which case I am can guess that the Greek and Roman gods aren't very happy with their Norse counterparts," Alex responded, smooth as ever.

"The frank truth was, S.H.I.E.L.D probably knows about you guys- maybe they suspect you're already in one big group, maybe they don't know just yet. But when you have information about every individual in the entire world at your fingertips: birth records, bank account details, criminal records, drivers' licenses, hospital records, et cetera. Even your High School and University examination results would be available to them. Facial recognition can be done in mere seconds, judging by the technology of Stark Industries. Satellite imagery- everything. And if you guys spend your entire lifetimes, fighting, relying only on the Mist to keep you covered, with explosions, natural disasters and other things happening in the mortals' eyes, I have no doubt S.H.I.E.L.D would take an interest in you too, more so now that they have an awareness of the supernatural."

Everyone gasped, and paled dramatically. Alex was possibly the only calm one.

Chiron tried to be reason. "Now campers," he started. "S.H.I.E.L.D has not found us yet."

"But if they did, they're likely to pick a fight with us, imprison us, or force us to work for them- and I can't avoid them this time." Alex pointed.

Chiron sighed. "And here I was hoping for a shred of optimism." He looked darkly at Alex.

"Optimism?" The way Alex said it made it sound foreign. "Just because I'm Irish doesn't mean we depend solely on luck and look on the bright side of the rainbow. I'm a realist, and I don't have ginger hair- and do I look like a leprechaun to you?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that," Chiron said hastily.

"My life sucks, the thing is, I don't spend my time whining about it," Alex said idly, not at all offended. "I've had American Navy Seals underestimate me because of that. Don't make that same mistake- S.H.I.E.L.D wanted me, but the reason I didn't take their job was because I didn't trust them. I knew something was different about me-" his eyes darkened. "And believe me, _different_ isn't always good. When just about everyone you've ever loved in your entire life is dead- _dead_ before their time, and you've been forced to endure, survive things you can never imagine, will never wish your worst enemy to endure, you have to learn not to trust people so easily. Even if you are desperate." He glowered.

"You've gone easy on the mortals. And soft." Clarisse scowled but said nothing.

"Above all, you've grown lax in your power, confident in the use of the Mist and your victories, unaware of the wider world." He was positively glowering now. "And countless innocent children have paid the price."

The Heroes of Olympus and Chiron winced.

"Clearly, you've never managed to check beyond your own borders, or very rarely." Alex spat bitterly. "Thousands- no, tens of thousands of children, your own brothers and sisters would still be alive if you had."

He wasn't going to let that go any time soon. Not when he still saw their bodies in his mind.

The others were silent. Many looked down. A number even had tears in their eyes. No one could meet his eyes.

Alex shook his head.

* * *

"This is going too far!" Someone was raging.

"Whoa, chill man. We could easily talk things out,"

"APOLLO! This is no time for-"

"Ouch. That hurts _bigly!"_ Snickers.

"Ares, I swear ONE MORE TIME-!"

"What's the matter, Cereal Face?"

" _SIIILEEEENCCCEEE!"_ Zeus all but howled. He held his Masterbolt in the air, and lightning sizzled and cracked like whips while thunder boomed.

Everyone fell silent. The king of the gods glowered around the room.

"On the matter of the Asgardians," he all but spat the last word out. "Odin is desperately trying to negotiate-" the king of Olympus was still steaming.

"But we have put forth an ultimatum." He forced himself to calm down. "The Egyptians are none too pleased either. We demanded Loki's head, and their support to wipe the mortals' minds blank, but Thor-" he spat his name. "Has refused."

"Aw, come on!" Ares whined. "They were going to find out anyway! These damned mortals just got too smart- that's what we get for giving Western Civilisation over to them." The flames in his eyes rose higher as he gave a maniacal grin. "Besides, why are we hiding? Since when were we scared- the mortals used to-"

"That was back then, Ares," Athena sighed, exasperated.

"Enough!" Zeus bellowed. He glared at his son. "Ares, you will not do anything- that's an order!" He tried to breathe deeply. Some of the other gods stared at him fascinated, half-expecting steam to come out of his godly ears.

"Now," he snapped. "As this matter has the potential to go on for days, if not weeks-" cue the sparks in his eyes. "We have other matters to observe. Namely- the unknown demigod."

"Yes." Athena narrowed her eyes at him. "Father- are you sure he's Greek?"

"Could be Roman," Hephaestus agreed.

Zeus frowned intently. "I have never even seen him. But…" He looked confused. "Apparently, an unknown benefactor-" he scowled. "Has shown footage- recorded by magic. The boy is now at Camp Half-Blood, but we will be able to watch his journey carefully and monitor whose child he is and whether he is Roman or Greek."

Some grumbled, some looked suspicious at the mention of the mysterious benefactor.

"Now," Zeus waved his hand. The images appeared in the flames of the hearth, as if cast by some magical projector.

They showed a boy. One turn and everyone gasped.

None louder than the ones who lived during the oldest days of Olympus when they glimpsed the boy's face.

 _"AGAIN?!"_ Came the screech.

* * *

"He's there." Aglaia stood at the doorway.

He stood straighter. "In Camp Half-Blood I presume?"

Aglaia gave a nonchalant shrug, but he could tell she wasn't pleased.

"They came," she said shortly. "To Ireland. Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase. Four Heroes of Olympus. They know."

"They already knew," he pointed. "Their foolishness would have cost them many of their children's lives." His two-shaded eyes darkened with rage and grief.

And guilt. Guilt and shame which had lasted for over two thousand years.

Aglaia looked at him. Understanding was in her eyes, she reached out to touch him.

Never pity. He was not made for that.

"We must ready our forces," she replied. "They will attack soon, I can attest to that."

"I am sure," he replied. "Very well then. But Alex…"

"Alex's training has been without equal and he is without peer in regards to this," he said slowly. "If anyone can be trusted with such a mission, it is him."

Aglaia nodded slowly.

"He will bring them to us," he assured them.

He knew Alex would never let him down.

* * *

Unaware that Zeus, his brothers, wife, sisters and children up on Olympus were currently watching his journey from being picked up by the Heroes of Olympus in Ireland, all the way through to the present moment, the demigods continued on their war council.

Alex rolled his eyes lazily as he watched them bicker and trade insults. "Well, this is productive," he gave a sardonic smile. He cast a cool glance at the frustrated-looking Heroes of Olympus.

Sensing this was going to take some time, Alex shot a look at the centaur trainer.

Chiron was pounding his hoof, trying to keep things under control, but when people panic… You know. Alex just leaned back in his chair, enjoying the coolness of it all.

"Alright, that's enough!" He managed to get his voice across.

Everyone calmed down almost instantly. Chiron looked at Alex. "Alex," he began. "Do you know anything about S.H.I.E.L.D's practices- how they will try to target us, and how do we respond from there?"

"I might know some things," he admitted. "But as I said, _when_ they do find us, everything will depend on whether we'll be able to coexist peacefully- or not. Because unlike Olympus, Asgard is another world- literally. Olympus exists on earth- above it, yeah, but still… You get what I mean. And like it or not, human beings have never been very good at sharing. Ever since the first Homo Sapiens fought their Neanderthal cousins, humanity has been fighting amongst themselves. It fights with others who are different- a Homo Sapien could easily turn against their own kind, as well as a Neanderthal. Moving aside from all references of Cave Men, S.H.I.E.L.D's primary goal is to keep the world safe- from terrorism, _and_ supernatural forces. The demigods of Olympus live amongst mortals- and word has it- a very poorly-kept secret- that S.H.I.E.L.D is registering and keeping tabs on the Enhanced."

"The what?" Butch, son of Iris asked.

"Humans who have been subject to scientific experiments- like Captain America and Black Widow, or the Hulk, even. Steve Rogers started out as a scrawny kid with every illness on the book, until he got a serum from a Doctor Erksine and became Captain America. Black Widow was just a regular kid- in the KGB Red Room program, until she got enhanced too. The Hulk's case was an accident, no doubt about that. Being exposed to Gamma radiation can have disastrous consequences for any human, but for some reason, it turned Doctor Bruce Banner into a giant, green rage monster when he gets angry. Things like that." Alex paused. "S.H.I.E.L.D's creator, Howard Stark was the one who put forth the Avengers Initiative- a group of highly talented, likely enhanced people with special abilities. As you may have guessed, or already know, he was Tony Stark's father. It was only after his death that his son carried out his idea- his proposal, thanks to Nicholas 'Nick' James Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was his idea when Loki first appeared in their facility in the Mojave Desert, drawn by the Tesseract which they were examining as a part of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S- I know," he rolled his eyes as some looked amused and the most immature snickered.

"Director Fury quickly got the Avengers together, as a response to Loki's threat. Thor went back to Asgard, taking Loki with him, and earth has tried to stay on good terms with Asgard- because an extra-terrestrial world of deities being your enemy is a very bad idea."

"So they might not attack us?" Someone asked hopefully.

"I didn't say that." Alex said calmly. "We might be captured, used as hostages to ensure our immortal parents behave." Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if furious by such an idea. "Or we might be wiped out- and they would seek to destroy Olympus- everyone's worst fears. Pray that they aren't that stupid and reckless. We might be forced to work for them, or they would continuously spy on and keep tabs on us, using satellites and a bunch of other, new and improved technology, using some of the Chitauri tech they'd left behind- people learn from that stuff. Or both. The possibilities are endless."

The demigods looked at one another.

"Analyse the situations all you will," He continued. "But they may- or may NOT- try to end us and Olympus too."

Thunder again, rumbling angrily. Alex again ignored it.

"Key- they _MAY,"_ he emphasised. "Or they may _NOT._ There's the rub. What happens if Olympus falls?"

The demigods winced. They've been in too many wars.

"Western Civilisation would cease to exist," Annabeth said slowly. "Yeah, it won't disappear all at once, but things will start returning to the dustbowl it began." That was Percy- quite surprising.

"Even with all these other gods?" Someone else argued.

"Best not to risk it," Alex stated. "Please continue." He looked at Annabeth.

She shook her head. "Alex, I just don't know. Western Civilisation is everywhere. From the buildings like the Lincoln Memorial to the White House in Washington D.C, the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Centre-" Percy grimaced. "The eagle of Zeus being this country's symbol- those are just the only things. Basically, everything that makes this International Corporative Culture, this worldwide civilisation, not just the Western one, stems from the gods and their children. George Washington was one of my mother's children. The heroes of the War of Independence, the American Civil War, heck, the heroes from just about anywhere, were demigods."

"Not to mention, famous examples of popular culture, including the Beatles and Alfred Hitchcock." Will Solace put in. "Famous physicians, not just Ascplepius, scientists, inventors, engineers…"

"Electricity, running water, writing, heck, even wine, music, medicine and education would disappear." Percy admitted. Annabeth looked at him surprised.

"Wow," she sounded impressed. "You surprised me, Seaweed Brain."

"Clearly, your boyfriend isn't an idiot like your nickname for him so bluntly puts it." Annabeth flushed and glared at Alex. "In fact, he isn't stupid at all, like you suggest." He looked at Percy with interest.

Annabeth flushed even deeper. _"Hey!_ I never called him stupid- it's just a-" Chiron waved her off, his own eternal patience fraying for once.

"So basically, what you're saying-" he nodded to Percy. "Is that this world would be reduced to the Stone Age?"

"Basically?" Percy grimaced again. "Yeah, that sums it up."

Alex sighed. "Well, maybe we can put that as proof as to why the Olympians need to remain in power." He rolled his eyes. "But don't expect them to trust us. They'll still want to keep tabs on us- most likely use and hire us."

"Damn," Leo whistled. "These guys sound persistent."

"They are, they would never have taken a no for me- they're also quite persuasive." Alex confessed. "But I was just as persuasive- and I persuaded them to _wait."_

"And kept putting it off." Jason raised an eyebrow. "Damn. That must have been tough."

"Well, I have run off with you guys, so it appears that their efforts to recruit me will cease for the time-being." Alex stated dryly.

"There's something else I would like to know," Chiron was the one who addressed him, narrowing his eyes. "You said you were one of many."

Alex was stone-faced. "I am."

"What happened to those children? Demigods, I presume?"

"You said they were killed and tortured," Percy said slowly. "Please tell us- it isn't true, is it?"

"Would I joke about this? Would I make up some sick story like that?" Alex asked, icily. "It's real. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, maybe even more, many of us from outside of North America, kidnapped, even sold. We were experimented upon, like lab rats. Tortured to test our point of endurance." His eyes grew darker, more… Haunted… He looked like he had seen Tartarus or at least the Fields of Punishment, which at least Percy, Annabeth and Nico had. Yet there was something more. "We were forced to kill," Alex said so quietly, that it was a good thing everyone else was silent, otherwise they would never have heard them. "We killed monsters for their amusement, training and being experimented and tested upon for their benefit, to become their army. No, their killing machines. Sometimes, they made us kill monsters, in order to have food and water, maybe a little warm clothing- anything. Or endure days and nights without food, water, medical treatment, light- or extreme pain, such as questioning under use of torture methods." Alex said softly.

"Most of the time, it was to test how good we were at surviving, at killing. Or for their own amusement. We were given harsh lessons before we were tested, tested always to the point of endurance, to the point of breaking. What was the worst thing? Most of us were so young, we knew no other life. Those sometimes did not survive. To survive in that world, we had to become monsters. Because," he said slowly. "They didn't just pit us against monsters. They pitted us against each other. We had to kill one another, like gladiators, for their amusement, and to see if we would do it. If any child showed mercy, that was a weakness. Sometimes- rarely- they received a second chance. Other times, if they refused to kill their opponent, they would be killed." He looked up at them. They could see the shadows in his face, even as their hearts, veins and stomachs turned to ice and dropped in a bottomless, black pit. "If a child or a teenager showed emotions, like fear, anger- which led to recklessness- or even romantic attachments- they were punished." Images of a blond-haired boy and a brown-haired girl being forced to watch as the other were tortured and then killed flashed in his mind.

He looked back up at them. "But always they made sure we were demigods- or at least that was what they said. We didn't always believe them- would you believe your torturers, those sadistic killers, the guards? I don't think so."

Alex could hear their screams, their shouts and helpless threats. Their desperate cries. Everything. He closed his eyes.

His hands tightened into fists on the table top.

His jaw clenched and unclenched, His shoulders hunched over.

Percy- or Jason- asked quietly. "Who's them?"

Alex didn't respond.

* * *

"You've failed me once again." The voice hissed.

They whimpered and cowered at his feet. Pathetic.

"Doctor," the voice said slowly. "Is the trap ready?"

The Sokovian doctor who had personally dealt with Alex came forwards. "Yes, my lord."

"But what of the Avengers?" Another asked.

"They shall be dealt with easily. "Once my allies have arisen, they shall know the meaning of pain. In the meantime, allow them to dig deeper.

"Soon, Percy Jackson will fall. And with him, Olympus.

"And we shall have our revenge."

* * *

 **Some things will be the same, others will be totally different. If I could go back and rewrite the Second Trojan War series, I would. Next chapter: S.H.I.E.L.D and Roman demigods. Greek demigods meet with Romans, Olympus goes crazy, Asgard meets up with Olympus among other things. I can definitely promise things are about to get tense.**


	6. Chapter 6

**To Matt: Ha! You think this is dark? Start reading some of the fics I've read. Even the non-crossover _Avengers_ and _PJO_ ones. This will be tame in comparison.**

 **To Gold December: Don't worry- they are definitely far from stupid, but I'm trying not to make anyone biased in favour of one side. Some of the fics I've read really undermine the demigods (even as compared to _Twilight_ vampires *shudder*!). This is not one of them. The demigods' strength will become more and more evident and they will unlock new strengths and talents very soon. **

**Disclaimer : I don't own PJO/HoO or the _Avengers_. No need to point that out. I'm not Stan Lee or Rick Riordan.**

* * *

One of the most fundamental things to Alex, was the continuous presence of a backup plan, especially when things were getting tense. A good commander knew when the odds were heavily against them. They knew when and where to retreat and when and where to regroup, when and how to attack again. When his long-term plans for his future were basically non-existent (and to an extent, still were), he always had a backup plan. What irked him was that these incredibly smart and capable individuals, hardened warriors- what _galled_ him really- was that they had absolutely no idea this was coming.

Did they think the mortals were that stupid? Sure, they may not be on the same level, but they were beginning to understand and catch up.

 _Mortals may be blind, but not stupid._

What made it worse was the fact that their celestial mothers and fathers didn't know or wouldn't do a damn thing.

As if his disgust and contempt could not get any lower.

He shook his head. "You can sit here and argue until they come, but I would advise we find out how much S.H.I.E.L.D knows."

They stared at him. They clearly weren't expecting an experienced soldier. Too bad, Alex thought dryly.

He wasn't about to reveal the extent of how he was trained, or worse yet, who trained him.

No, he had his own secret story, and his own loyalties. He was already given a mission, but bringing the demigods of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter might be a bit harder than expected.

Alex had his mission. He wasn't about to fail.

"Listen," he insisted. "You can sit here and argue, if you'd like, but I'll be damned right now if S.H.I.E.L.D isn't learning everything they can about you, from your High School Chemistry results, to the date of when you were last seen by police. Everything from your parent's bank account details, to any minor bullying incident at primary school or day-care, they'll have it. We just need to find out _how much they know."_ He turned hard eyes towards Leo and Jake Mason. "Think you can hack into their database?"

Leo hesitated. "I dunno, man. We could try"

Jake nodded. "Better than nothing."

"Excellent. I'll help you," Alex stood. "Now if you don't mind, why don't we take a look at what S.H.I.E.L.D knows?"

* * *

"There." Leo pointed.

Alex nodded with genuine approval. "Nice."

They might have grown lax, but they were good, they were great as a matter of fact.

Alex scanned the file. He had personally made sure the S.H.I.E.L.D operatives, even their director would never find out.

What he read, however, made his eyes darken. "He knows." He said shortly.

The others started. "What?"

"Clarisse La Rue. Annabeth Chase. Leo Valdez. Jason Grace. Thalia Grace. Piper McLean. Drew Tanaka. Katie Gardner. Travis and Connor Stoll. Will Solace. Meg McCaffrey. Miranda Gardiner. Jake Mason. Chris Rodriguez. Kayla Knowles. Austin Lake. Frank Zhang. Hazel Levesque. Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. Nico di Angelo. Bianca di Angelo." He stopped and looked up. "Percy Jackson. All your histories, everything about you, every event, CCTV camera footage, photographs, your academic performances- it's all on there."

Percy grabbed the screen. "Where?"

"It's too late, you can't erase it. The agents have already looked through those files- it's the first thing they do. No doubt they would have mentioned this to the director. It also mentions your names in context to bombings, riots, even a volcanic explosion in Mount Saint Helens, Washington." Percy cursed. "Someone saw you zooming through the air apparently. Probable mafia involvement- they saw thugs herding you to onto some cruise ship in Florida, and some guy forced you into a limousine in Gila Claw, Arizona." Percy blushed for some strange, inexplicable reason.

"To talk, apparently." Alex murmured, reading the screen. "And then he forced you out. Mercenaries were after you…" He turned to the Heroes. "You guys are on S.H.I.E.L.D's lookout list, alright. You're under suspect for terrorism."

Gasps all around. Alex ignored them and read on.

"They have your histories." He frowned. "There's a number of you guys on the list- in fact this isn't even the full list."

Leo had a terrible, sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't need to look at everyone else to know they felt the same. "It's not?"

"No." Alex scrutinised things carefully. "It appears that a few of these files have been updated, at least within the last three days." He turned to look at Jason and Piper. "The ones of the two of you- and your sister." He nodded at Jason.

Piper's stomach dropped. "Us?"

"Your father, Tristan McLean was a guest of Tony Stark, quite recently- Iron Man invited him to a party." Alex did not react when he saw that Piper's father was a famous movie star. But Piper paled. "And an actress named Jane McEwan- she was a friend of Beryl Grace- your mother." He looked at Jason. "Until the two of them had a fallout- apparently, McEwan didn't approve of the way your mother raised you and your sister, even complained about her smoking and drinking whilst pregnant with you-" _"WHAT?!"_ Jason choked. Alex grimaced. "And the two of them stopped talking. They were indirectly questioned by the Avengers themselves- _'Jane McEwan does not appear to have any contact with the Grace children since their disappearances and seems unaware of their current whereabouts.'"_ Alex's eyebrows rose. "She must have loved you guys- she created the Jason and Thalia Grace foundation- to look after kids in neglected and abusive homes- her and a bunch of other celebrities. That was nice." He stated, sounding surprised. "Apparently she was your godmother and still quite haunted by your disappearances and police's inability to find the two of you. Nice woman.

"' _Tristan McLean, when questioned, did not know about his daughter's doings, only mentions his regrets about treating her the way he did-'"_ Piper got a lump in her throat. _"'And that she currently has a boyfriend whom she met at Summer Camp. He mentions that his daughter now has a life of her own and that she barely sees him, to his regret.'"_ He sighed. "They're on the lookout for you." He turned towards Nico. "And you. They said you were born in 1932, Venice, Italy."

Nico went very, very still. "They know?"

"They said they sent agents to the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Vegas to investigate anything to do with you and your sister being photographed, leaving there, and Percy and Annabeth staying for a few days."

Percy cursed in Ancient Greek. "So, _that's_ how they know."

"Wait." Jason held up his hands. "What is the Lotus Hotel and Casino?"

"It's the home of the Lotus Eaters," Annabeth explained. "The ones that Odysseus met on his journey with his crew. We were in their, stopping over on our first quest. We came out five days later- if felt like time stopped."

"Same," Nico said grimly. "Bianca and I were born before World War Two- before the first Great Prophecy involving the Titan War and our fathers' oath not to sire anymore demigod children. When our father refused to hand us over, Zeus destroyed out hotel in Washington." He and Percy winced. "Our mother was killed. Father sent us to the Lotus Hotel, where he took us out and put us in Westover Hall where you guys, Grover and Thalia found us."

"So, if they sent a STRIKE team and groups of agents to sniff out the place where time stops- something which is directly connected with you guys and the Olympian pantheon, that means, they're coming in hot." Alex withdrew from the screen. "We have to shut this down and make it look like no one's viewed it." He said abruptly. The Hephaestus campers nodded and hurried on.

"You don't have much time."

"But you know how to evade them," Chiron was looking at Alex.

"Temporarily- _only_ _temporarily."_ Alex stated firmly. "They're already onto you. You can't stop them from finding out, not without getting yourselves into trouble and falling right into your trap."

"He's right." Chiron stated. "What I meant was… Can you help us?"

"Help you?" Alex's eyebrows rose.

"Train them." Chiron insisted. "We have one unknown enemy- we are at the brink of war with another pantheon. On top of it all, we have to worry about S.H.I.E.L.D." he sighed and passed a hand on his face.

"We need your help." Chiron stated.

"What can I possibly help you with?"

"You're a soldier," Annabeth blurted. "In the mortal world."

"And currently, I'm supposed to be on standby, awaiting orders in Ireland."

"But you're not." Jason looked at him. "Please we need you."

Alex looked at them and sighed. "I suppose that's why I'm here."

"You mentioned… You were taken." Percy hated himself for forcing it out of him. "Who took you? Were there any other survivors? Do you think they might be demigods?"

Alex was silent. "Perhaps."

Annabeth was astounded. "You don't trust us." She murmured.

"I don't think you're trying to kill us, but I don't trust them." Alex pointed.

"Who? S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"No. Your parents." He turned around.

Everyone was silent. "Alex-" Jason began.

"Why should I trust them?" Alex said, allowing bitterness and harshness to enter his normally, very carefully composed and calm tones. "If these were their children… Do they even know what they've suffered? And what if they kill them?"

Annabeth drew in a sharp breath. Many of the campers shot nervous looks at the sky above. "Alex- they would never kill-"

"Really?" Alex said, barely managing to rein in his sarcasm. "You said," he looked at Nico. "That due to some prophecy, your uncle tried to kill your mother, your sister and yourself- he managed to do the former, but you escaped. You were a kid. You-" he nodded at Percy. "Mentioned being targeted by gods, ever since you were a kid. You were blamed for something you didn't do and they tried to kill you. So, any more reasons why I shouldn't trust anyone _not_ to kill innocent kids?"

Silence. Not a single person would meet his eyes. Surprisingly there was no thunder.

"That's right." Alex stated. "These people have suffered enough. They've been through enough. I agree, you're going to need their help as well as mine, but I'm not letting anyone hurt them more than they already have. And I'm certainly not letting a bunch of supernaturally-powerful-" his voice rose. "Paranoid immortals or anyone who answers to them hurt them."

His eyes flashed with rage.

"We're not going to-" Percy began. "I swear."

" _You_ might not," Alex conceded. "But _they_ may. Once our usefulness has been outlived, why not get rid of them, for the sake of getting rid of a potential threat? Even if those 'threats' aren't interested in challenging or threatening anyone? Even if they are innocent?"

"They can swear," Chiron stated. He sighed. "Normally I would never ask this of them, but if they swore on the River Styx-"

"Big deal. Something tells me that oath has already been broken." He looked pointedly at Percy. Thunder rumbled, as if grumbling. But no one could deny he had a point.

Everyone winced.

"So until you answer me this question: Why should I trust you with them? You get no help, not from them." Alex stared them flatly down. "Unless you were the ones who swore."

"What?"

"Swear an oath- all of you- Greek and Roman alike," he said with a deadly calm. "That you will never turn against them- your own brothers and sisters among them. That you will never betray, or even attempt to kill or hurt them in any way. That if your parents try to hurt, imprison, enslave, kill them or in any way dispose of them-" Alex began. "Well, I don't ask you to turn against your own parents and Olympus- that is something I would never ask of anyone. But I _will_ ask you either to firstly, stand up to them and refuse. Secondly, if push comes to shove, remain neutral and refuse to help the gods in any way, not to turn these demigods and legacies over."

"We would never turn over our own brothers and sisters away," Clarisse growled.

"Swear it," Alex said abruptly. "Swear it with Greeks and Romans alike." He repeated. "Demigods and Legacies- those who have suffered and known what it is to fear and to be hunted. I don't expect the gods to keep their oaths-" thunder. "But _you_ know what it is like to be helpless and afraid once. To go hungry. To be desperate. Friendless and alone. To be tortured, even. To fear not only for your life, but those you care about. To dread falling asleep each day, not only wondering if you would wake up, but what the next day would bring you. Not planning for your future, hopes and dreams, but nothing short of pure survival. You might not have gone through everything, but at least _you_ know fear, suffering, hopelessness. You've been cornered before. Beings of tremendous wealth and power, with everything they could want at the flick of a finger, can hardly be expected to know what that feels like."

Silence. Even the thundering had stopped. Perhaps Zeus was wondering which direction they would go in.

"I'd swear." Percy spoke up first- no surprises. The others did the same. "We'd have to ask the Romans, but once they know… Yeah." Jason admitted.

"Good, then in turn, _after_ the Romans have sworn, I can contact the others." He inclined his head and turned around.

Tony sat, frowning.

Clint grunted. "Never seen you so serious, Stark."

Tony glared at him while Bruce suppressed a smile.

"Well, I _am_ serious. The Ten Rings. They targeted Emily Zhang." All smiles faded. "Why? Why that particular soldier?"

"They targeted her entire-" Bruce began, but Tony waved his hand irritably.

"I know that! But she was the only casualty!"

"Well, she did give her life so they could escape," he pointed out.

Tony sighed. "Yeah- but that's it, isn't it? Frank Zhang, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Hazel Levesque, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Nico di Angelo… These kids are connected to one another, and they're not supposed to know each other- except that they ran away, or ended up involved in huge international…" Tony waved his hand again. _"Things!"_

"Things?" Clint asked, blankly.

"And now, one of them, Frank Zhang, is connected to me, because his mom was targeted by the same terrorists I was!" Tony collapsed on the couch. "Sounds a little too _interesting_ to be a coincidence, isn't it?"

As much as the others hated to admit it, he was right. It was way too suspicious. Not to mention the other similarities: the di Angelo siblings and Hazel Levesque were all born prior to the Second World War and disappeared during that time, like Steve.

Natasha wondered if more interesting stuff was to be uncovered. Somehow, she had the feeling that something even more shocking was on its way and she didn't like it.

She hated being surprised.

"What are these kids? Terrorists, or something else? And why did they target her?"

"Tony," Steve began but Tony cut him off. He stood abruptly.

"I gotta find this out," he muttered and strode off. "I gotta find Frank Zhang."

The Romans stared aghast. Some looked sickened, others horrified. Some were in tears. The Greeks too.

The view was clearly the Senate building in New Rome.

Yeah, Alex told them a bit more about what had happened.

They were all connected by one giant Iris Message screen.

"So…" Alex paused. "Are we in agreement? Will you swear by the Styx?"

Silence. Reyna took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes."

"Every Roman? Every Greek? Demigod and Legacy?"

"Yes." Jason stared at him.

He barely showed any emotion, and either he adapted very well to the most tense situations, or…

 _Or what?_ Jason thought. _Don't you think that he would've killed you already?_

"And in return, I can promise that they won't destroy Olympus." Alex shrugged. "And certainly _not_ Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter and New Rome."

Yeah, he was taking this way too easily.

But Jason knew- somehow knew- that Alex was not there to harm them.

"Very well." Reyna stood, and the whole load of Romans stood with her. On this side, the Greeks stood as well.

"I swear we shall agree to your terms." Reyna began. Everyone on her side repeated it. Then Percy said it, and everyone on his side did as well.

"Very well." Alex smiled slightly, and took out something from his pocket.

Leo's eyes bugged. "Is that a… Cell-phone?"

" _What?!"_ Annabeth nearly shrieked. "A cell-phone-"

"What's the big deal?" Alex asked.

Chiron cleared his throat sternly. "Young man, I hope you did not use it here."

"No, I haven't used it since I arrived in the States," Alex assured him. "But why?"

"Why?" Annabeth looked aghast. "Monsters are drawn to it, like-"

"Moths to a flame?" Alex smirked. "Even this one?" He held up his smartphone.

It looked like the latest smartphone model (except for some reason, _way_ cooler than that), except that it was gold. Pure gold.

No. _Imperial_ Gold.

Reyna's eyes widened. "Is that… Imperial Gold?"

"That is correct."

Percy stared. "How the heck did you get your hands on that kind of metal?"

"I didn't." Alex said calmly. "One of the people I'm about to contact did. Like I said, I didn't believe those psychopaths when they said we were the children of gods. Who would believe them?"

Reyna started. "You never told us their name."

"That's because, unfortunately, I don't know." Alex emphasised. "That's how smart they were. Not a single one of us ever knew their names. They weren't like HYDRA- the terrorist group, I mean. They don't give a salute, and say a phrase like 'Hail HYDRA' and 'Cut off one head, two more grow back!'" Everyone on either side grimaced.

"These were clever. I will tell you the extent of how clever once we meet face to face. But right now…" He hesitated. "I think we should give them a call, don't you?"

"Just who are you calling?" Piper wondered. "What are their names?"

"I can't answer that yet," Alex stated.

"Why?" Jason asked. "Still don't trust us?"

"I admit, I have trust issues," the newly-arrived demigod admitted. "But it isn't just a matter of trust, but safety. And the fact that _they_ trusted _me,_ and whereas you swore you would never hurt them, they did not give me permission to tell you their names or where exactly they live." Alex shrugged. "I don't betray people's trust. They don't know you, and it is likely they may not trust you straight away- in fact, I'm actually quite certain that they won't. But we'll need their help. Like me, they were survivors. And each of them have their own particular skills and talents." He gestured to his phone. "Like the one who made this."

Leo's eyes gleamed with feverish excitement. "What else can they make?"

"Not saying, just yet. I need a team." He put in. "None of these people live here in the United States, but to show our- well, _your_ goodwill and that you mean them no harm-"

Chiron held up his hand. "You wish for some to come with you."

"Yes." Alex agreed. "These people have trust issues, and I can't blame them. They certainly won't trust the gods."

Thunder.

"But we need their help." Alex looked grim. "Whether you like it or not, these people- and I- are the ones who know how to get one step ahead of S.H.I.E.L.D and who our enemies are. So… Agreed?"

"Who will you take with you?"

"I was hoping…" His eyes wandered to Percy. "You, for one. You are quite honourable."

"Wow. Thanks." Percy actually meant it. Alex didn't seem like the type to give compliments so easily.

"Jason?" He looked at him. "If the two of you are willing."

"I could come-" Piper began. Alex shook his head. "With a persuasive voice like yours? You don't think they wouldn't be able to tell that your voice has abilities?" He grimaced. "It's best not to push it," he said, apologetically. "They may not trust us if they think you're trying to magically persuade or enslave them."

Piper sighed, but couldn't deny he was right. "You're right."

"I'll go." Annabeth stepped forwards. Alex frowned. "They might think you're trying to trick them or analyse a way to force them to attend."

Annabeth looked hurt. "I would never-"

"I know you won't but you won't be the first grey-eyed genius they've met and dealt with," Alex said, shortly. "It would be difficult for them to trust you. I'm afraid someone else."

"I could." Calypso nodded. She stepped forwards. Calypso- formerly immortal, offspring of titans. Not someone they've ever experienced before. Alex sighed. "Very well."

"And me." Leo piped up. Alex frowned. "Are you planning to get on everyone's nerves?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Leo spluttered. Alex sighed. "Alright." This boy probably had a faster transport than a plane. "I understand you're curious, but _you_ must understand, it will be difficult enough to convince them that you mean no harm." He gave Leo a look. " _You_ must stay on our transport."

Leo spluttered again.

"I think," he sighed. "That will be enough." He rubbed his head. "And spray yourselves with copious quantities of perfume and deodorant, won't you? We don't need any monsters attracted by our scent. It's bad enough you're under S.H.I.E.L.D's radar." He sighed. "It's going to be hard. But our first target is… In Asia."

They blinked. _"Oookay._ Where, _exactly_ in Asia?" Leo asked.

Alex frowned. "As I've said, I do not intend to betray their trust- or anyone else's trust for that matter. Asia and Europe. That's where they are."

Reyna's eyes narrowed. "And I suppose you won't tell us which country they're from? Whether they're male or female? Tall or short?"

"Blond, redhead, brunette," Alex shrugged. "As I've said- and I take this very seriously- I don't betray anyone's trust. You trust me, I won't betray you. They trust me, it's the same. If you've gained my respect, or you're not trying to harm an innocent- usually the same case- then I won't try to hurt, much less kill you."

Then it hit Jason. They had to trust him. Alex wanted to know whether they were as paranoid as their immortal parents. Whether they'd jump the gun or keep their promises. This was a test. Slowly, Percy, Annabeth and a few others had reached the same conclusion.

Jason took a deep breath. "Okay, fine." He gave the others a look. Some, like Annabeth, must have realised the same thing.

"So…" Alex paused. "Shall I?" He gestured to the phone.

They all nodded. Alex unlocked it. He then searched out an app.

"Whoa," Leo breathed. "Is that-"

"Where I will be able to send an instant message that I am on my way- immediately." He pressed it.

The commander looked up from his phone.

"It's done. He's on his way." He said shortly.

Aglaia rose from the couch. "Not yet. I will go to Athens. They shall meet me there, after the others." Her phone glowed. Alex was on his way.

She sighed and walked over. "I did not intend to be found out," she said in a warning tone. "I will not abide in this."

"I know you do not abide in this." He pointed out. He looked her in the eye. One pale blue, one dark blue eye, piercing straight into her green ones which were green and yet full of colours, like a treasure trove of the most priceless gems.

"But if we work together," he said slowly. "My love, we can fight to win and triumph." His pale and dark blue eyes glowed fiercely, awe-inspiringly in triumph and strength.

His face was close to hers. She smiled. "Some things will never change." She kissed him.

He welcomed the kiss, scooping her up from where she stood. "If they try to take you," he whispered in her ear. "I will fight the darkness from the very depths of Tartarus until you once more stand by my side." He had sworn his oath to her.

That was the end of the conversation. Alex could wait. He was going to Asia first.

"Japan." Alex looked at Leo. "That's where we're headed."

Leo nodded eagerly, like a puppy. "Okay then."

He jumped off the deck landed somewhere below and got to work.

"Japan?" Jason leaned down. "In Asia?"

Alex smirked humourlessly. "Yes." He looked at him, as if daring him to try something.

"We promised we wouldn't," Jason said.

"Right." Alex's eyes grew flint-eyed. "On the downside," he sat down opposite from Alex. "You should've made the gods promise."

Alex's eyes, if possible, went even harder. "I'd rather not be anywhere near them."

Jason was silent. "You know," he finally began. "The Second Titan War- well, based on what I know from the Greeks' point of view- I was still at Camp Jupiter at that time- there was this guy named Luke. Great hero, by the way they talked about him. But he grew angry, bitter. He was alone."

"And let me guess? He defected?" Alex laughed bitterly. "That's not the first time something like that happened. I assure you, I have no intention in attacking Olympus or any of the camps." _A shame in the former._

"No, it's not that," Jason hastily assured him. "I know you won't. But…" He sighed, exasperated. "Luke believed his father didn't care about him. But in the end, even as he lay dying…"

"He realised he was wrong." Alex finished for him. His voice was quiet, gentle when he spoke to Jason. As if comforting a kid with a skinned knee. As if Jason was the one who needed comforting.

"I appreciate it." Alex stared out in the distance. "But I know for a fact, even if my father- whoever he was- tried to make amends, everything would be far too late. _By far."_

Jason was silent. He knew better than to push it. But inside, he was burning with questions. Who _were_ they? What did they do to him? Did they really take kids- demigods, possibly, or Legacies- and torture them? Turn them into killer-slaves?

"Don't get your hopes up, Jason," Alex said, suddenly, quietly. "We may have escaped. But in some ways, we never did."

"Huh?" Jason blinked. "You were never in that place, and be grateful, it was the worst imaginable." He paused.

"Who are _they?"_ Jason asked, growing angry now. He stood. "How do we stamp them out-"

"You can't." Alex looked at him. "I was sold there."

" _Sold?!"_

"Sold." Alex stood to face him. "Someone always sells us out- and they pay money to make sure governments look the other way too. Don't underestimate how powerful they are. Or how clever. I don't know how they managed to subdue and ship me, but thousands of us- if not more- were trafficked. Sometimes, you'd be a victim of human trafficking- and end up somewhere, in the middle of the mafia, some gangs or worse."

Things that made him grimace and scowl, inwardly or not.

"I learned not to trust or have any expectations the hard way. Including family." Alex looked at him hard. "That way, you're always prepared. That way you're never disappointed or betrayed."

Jason didn't know what to say. He just stared at Alex. It seemed as if he was trying to warn him of something. But what? And why?

Before he could say anything, Alex stood. "Our first target is in Tokyo." He said shortly before leaving. "The others will be around Europe."

"Okay." Tony scrutinised the screen, hard. "First off- Emily Zhang. Ten Rings. Why did they target her? What's so special about her and her son? Are they holding some kind of secret?"

Steve frowned. He exchanged glances with Bruce. "You assume the family's keeping some secret."

"Wha-" Tony looked up from the screen. "' Course I do! Look- whole bunch of kids, one parent raised them, one parent unknown? And all these kids from different places, and different ages met and teamed up during times of trouble? Maybe it's gangs, maybe it's the Mafia, or terrorists, but it's certainly no coincidence!"

Tony tried to breathe deeply. "I don't know about the others, but there's a reason why they targeted Emily Zhang. And now her son's in the thick of danger. I don't know who these kids are but they're just… Kids."

 _San Francisco…_

Praetor Frank Zhang of the Twelfth Legion, New Rome and Camp Jupiter, Hero of Olympus, one of the Seven, walked along the streets of San Francisco.

Yeah, Frank knew this was a death trap. Ever since he learned what the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D knew… Man.

And this new guy, Alex. Frank wasn't sure whether he was a Greek or a Roman. Then again, he was at Camp Half-Blood, but even then they couldn't be sure. According to Chiron, the centaur trainer of Greek heroes, even the gods didn't know whose son he was. But they needed him. So Frank walked on unaware that someone was following him- namely two guys dressed in black.

* * *

 _Tokyo, Japan, a few days later…_

"So…" Percy paused. "So where is this contact?"

"We'll meet her soon enough." Alex scanned the streets calmly. They'd just left Harajuku Station, taking care that no one was watching or waiting for them.

The streets of Tokyo were filled with people, chattering and hurrying in huge crowds to cross the street, some holding cell phones to their ears, others chatting to one another, others still too busy to talk.

A group of girls in miniskirts and stockings, hair in pigtails had asked to take pictures with them, but Alex politely declined and hurried off. According to him, this did happen here, from time to time. He looked at Percy and smirked, seemingly in amusement.

"Where are we going exactly?" Jason frowned.

"To the Meiji Shrine, a prominent Shinto temple." They looked at him strangely _. "Ookay._ What for?" Percy asked.

"What other reason would we be in Tokyo in such short notice?"

"A temple?" Calypso blinked. She had a calming influence and seemed sensible, the reason why Alex agreed to have her come (provided that the often gratingly-cheerful Leo would not say the wrong thing and get on their friends' nerves). "To whom?"

"It was dedicated to the Emperor Meiji- the Enlightened Emperor, and his wife Empress Shoken. But technically it's a temple complex to the Shinto gods." Alex stated. "And a popular tourist destination." He gave them a quick glance.

They definitely wore tourist clothes- passable and bland, not filthy enough to arouse suspicion (unless they were supposed to be trekking, but they were right in the middle of Tokyo).

"It's quite a big complex," Alex stated. "A ten-minute walk from its southern gate and the northern entrance near Yoyogi Station. Entrance to the complex is marked by a Torri gate- entrance to a Shinto temple or shrine is always marked by one."

Calypso craned her neck. "What does it look like?"

"Careful." Alex smiled out at the distance. "We're supposed to be tourists, taking a holiday to Tokyo. We're not searching for anything in particular." He paused. "The Torii gate is made of wood, usually painted orange and black. "

Jason looked at him. "You know the way?"

"I do," he said smoothly. "But I'm holding this map so they can think that I'm consulting it. It may arouse some curiosities, even suspicions, if tourists don't check maps to look for such a landmark site- we are supposed to be tourists."

So far, he had been keeping a good act. The others needing persuading, but Alex had set them to practicing until he was certain they would be able to make it. It was gruelling, and he was scrutinising, and relentless. Percy had a feeling that if this guy ever became an instructor….

"So, what would she doing near a Shinto temple?" Percy squinted at the light of the sun.

"She's a devout Shinto," Alex said casually, fake-checking his map. In truth, he had memorised the thing before they even arrived.

They looked at him. "She… Er, prays to Shinto gods?" Jason couldn't disguise the surprise in his voice.

Alex gave him a flat look. "Yes." He raised an eyebrow. "Surely you have nothing against that?"

"No," Jason said hastily. "Of course not. But… What if we told her-"

"That she's a demigod, Greek or Roman?" He sighed. "I doubt anyone's reaction to such news could ever be _'Oh great!'"_

"Yeah," Percy grimaced. So did Calypso and Jason.

"That's why I asked you to spray yourselves with perfume and deodorant- sizeable quantities of them," Alex said patiently. "We don't want to attract attention- particularly from monsters from the Greek and Roman world. The Shinto gods will not be pleased and this world has enough conflict and problems on its own without us and Olympus being blamed for luring something there." The others winced.

"Plus, she would not appreciate it," Alex stated. "Definitely not."

They were close. They themselves had arrived from Harajuku Station, near the southern entrance. "The southern entrance has a large garden full of irises." Alex said. "It's famous, but you'd have to pay an entrance fee to get in." He smirked. "Lucky I had Japanese Yen in store."

Alex opened his mouth about to ask when he changed his currency, but before they knew it, the four of them were confronted by a massive arched, Japanese gate, painted light orange and black. A Torii gate, forty-feet (twelve meters) high.

"We're here." Alex stated. "Don't push our luck- we're in someone else's territory- try and be respectful, we don't need any more problems."

It was clear he had more respect for the Shinto gods than the Olympian ones. Well, he didn't seem to harbour any grudges against them, anyway, that would explain it.

They entered a large square. Crowds of people were about, some tourists, others worshippers.

"This is a temple," Alex reminded them. "Some places it's okay to bring food and drink. Other places no. Some places, it's okay to take pictures, but others, again, no. Some places, we _really_ need to be quiet."

Percy and Jason stared. Even Calypso did the same. "You seem to be giving it extra thought." And it wasn't just because he didn't want to cause them anymore problems.

Funny considering that he seemed to _really_ hate the Olympians.

"Considering that our friend is a Shinto, and we are really pushing it by meeting her here," Alex paused. "Then I'd say we show some diplomacy. Besides, need I remind you that you tried to pick me up at my _family's_ graves? And led those guys- incidentally or otherwise- to come and engage us in a gunfight _and_ a car chase?"

Percy and Jason had the decency to look ashamed.

"That's right," Alex murmured. His blue eyes looked around. "Hold this, will you?" He passed the map to Jason.

"Where is our _friend?"_ Percy tried not to look conspicuous as he looked around.

"Don't bother," Alex said, sounding bored. "You won't be able to see her."

"Then, where is she?" Jason looked at him. "Does she even know we're here?"

"I'm pretty sure she's here right now," Alex said calmly.

This alarmed his teammates. They cast their eyes around.

"What did I tell you about being inconspicuous?" Alex muttered. "Seriously, how are you not arrested by now? If I can figure this out…" He shook his head. "Never mind. Don't bother, you won't be able to see her."

"Shouldn't we-" Jason looked back at him. "Talk to her? Call her?"

"We'll cross the bridge when we get there." Alex stated. "Besides, I'm pretty sure she's spotted us and watching us right now."

"Then why hasn't she come to talk to us?" Percy asked.

"She's knows you're with me," Alex kept walking on. "She's watching you, seeing if she can trust you- analysing you, in case you turn out to be a threat."

Jason stiffened, and so did Percy. "Do you think she'll attack?"

"Only if you have any intention in attacking." He said. He led them through a long path.

"Wow. Shinto temples aren't like Ancient Greek ones." Calypso blinked.

Percy and Jason could only agree.

They turned right and went through another Torii gate. "We're near the main shrine." Alex stated. "The inner sanctum of the temple. This is where we have to keep our voices low.

The inner sanctum or main shrine was a huge towering building made of wood, with sloping roofs sheathed in copper, weathered green. The place had the tranquil, peaceful effect that most Japanese traditional buildings and gardens had.

"We're going around." Alex murmured. He turned to the right, and they followed.

Soon, they spotted a building with a sloping roof, made of redwood. It was a long hall.

"Here." Alex stated. "The Kaguraden. The hall of Sacred Song and Dance. These are where some of the most important ceremonies are performed- and where she will make it clear whether she wishes to meet us or not."

"Or not?" Calypso raised her eyebrows.

"We need to go to a cleansing station, we aren't permitted to go inside with unclean hands and mouths." Alex explained. "Once we've rinsed our mouths and our hands, we take off our shoes and we walk inside. You can wear socks, but no shoes." He pointed to a station.

After copying what everyone else was doing, Alex paid an entrance fee of five-thousand yen, after filling and handing in a request form. It was the only way to get inside, and participate in the oncoming ceremony.

Inside was wide and spacious. The wooden beams glowed reddish brown, rubbed with oil, its warm scent filled the air; crushed pine needles and wood. The tatami mats looked new and fresh, smelling of straw.

The audience faced a dais as the opposite end. Upon it, were small tables, one larger centre one serving as an altar, dishes of incense, votive candles and food offerings were laid upon the table above, with a silk painting of one of the Shinto gods on the wall above.

Several Shinto priests ushered them in and helped show them where they would sit on the ground. After a lengthy silence, drum beats echoed, a purification wand is waved above their heads while just as everyone else, they bowed their heads. And soon, the demigods and Calypso wait. They just wait, and Alex watches the Shinto priestesses, _Miko_ they're called, enter the room. The priests or _Kannushi_ are dressed in traditional _Jōe_ robes and _ebōshi_ hats. The Miko are wearing red _hakama_ trousers and _haori_ or kimono jackets, their hair plaited at the back with brightly patterned ties. Alex could afford to wait… For now.

So he watched the priests and priestesses perform the Order of Ceremony, clapping his hands the way the others did, indicating that they should do the same, and seeming to relax as they watched the shrine maidens perform a sacred Kagura dance. This time, he noted that they seemed to invoke some of their gods, by wearing masks and other things. Quite unusual for such an occasion. Then he noticed that the other members of the audience, Shinto and non-Shinto alike, didn't seem to particularly react.

 _Ah,_ he thought. And he observed them more closely.

Percy and Jason stared bewildered at Alex, prompting Calypso to do the same after a while. Alex showed no emotion whatsoever, save for a faint smile on his face. One would think he was a cultural tourist.

Once the ceremony is over, everyone took a ritual sip of _Naorai_ rice wine (not sake). Before Alex led them out.

"We're going to the Iris gardens." He stated as if it were obvious.

Percy and Jason stared. "Why?" That was Percy.

"Our contact has agreed to meet us."

Calypso stared at him, and the other two started in alarm. "We didn't see-"

"That's because you were looking, not observing." Alex stated, matter-of-factly. "She was there. I gave her a message; a request for a meeting somewhere safe with you three- just to ask her to hear me out. And she agreed."

They stared at him blankly. Alex sighed. "Once you've stopped merely looking and searching, then you will be able to see and observe- you will never be surprised, not by monsters or anyone."

Percy bit his tongue and restrained himself from saying anything further. "The irises are in full bloom right now, so it's rather popular, so I don't know why she would want us to meet there. We may have to pay and entry fee, but it should be quite populated." Alex murmured.

So it happened, Alex guided them there, and paid the entry fee himself. Inside was spectacular. Calypso gasped. Percy remembered she adored her garden back on Ogygia. Here the irises were blooming- fields of them. But Alex looked somewhat impressed for another reason.

"Ah, she's gotten rid of the tourists- side-tracked them, I see. We're the only ones here." He said in satisfaction.

"How'd she do that?" Jason asked.

Alex opened his mouth but someone else spoke.

"Perhaps you need to know _how."_

They spun wildly- except for their Irish friend who simply smiled. But they saw nothing.

"Mizuki." He acknowledged. "You've been in here for quite some time. It's been a long while." He turned around.

There, in the direction where the three demigods and sorceress had spun to not one minute before, stood a young woman.

She was one of the most beautiful women they had ever seen in their entire lives; her face oval underneath a mane of silky, thick, luminous, glossy mane of hair, wavy and falling heavily down her back, flashing blue-black where the light struck it. She was East Asian with a touch of European or Caucasian blood. Her complexion was pale, her figure tall and graceful. Her almond eyes were a dark, absolutely haunting, silvery-blue shade. So strikingly beautiful but dangerous. Some uneasy part of Jason thought of Khione, despite this girl being undeniably Asian. She was dressed in the same white-patterned kimono-jacket and red trousers as the priestesses in the shrine.

"I admit, it's actually rather good to see you."

The girl- Mizuki smiled. Another thing, she reminded Percy much too much of Artemis- so beautiful she took your breath away, but utterly dangerous and not someone you'd get cosy to. Much too dangerous.

Calypso must have been thinking the same thing as she blinked, repeatedly.

"I admit, I didn't think you'd come." She said dryly, in fluent English. "Temples were never your thing."

"I can respect people's faiths," Alex answered.

"I'm sure you can."

This was a girl with shimmering, glittering golden hair, that literally glowed in the sun. She was fair-skinned- a Caucasian. Her figure every bit as slim and graceful. Her reddish lips were bow-shaped and her eyes were strikingly blue.

Alex turned to her with a smile, and Jason was surprised, that today, he was genuinely smiling for the first time he had seen him. "Eleana." His eyebrows raised. "This certainly saves me a trip to England."

The girl- Eleana- glanced behind him. "Yes, but we weren't aware you would be bringing others." She eyed the other three, every bit as beautiful as Mizuki, Jason observed. And every bit as dangerous, he sensed, although in a different way. If she reacted badly to their presence, he could trust Alex, but he didn't know if Alex alone would be able to stand against these two girls, whose skills were unknown.

"Normally I never would. I don't betray anyone's trust, Eleana, you know me." Alex said calmly. "In fact, I would never underestimate either of you either. Mizuki knew that I would be coming- and when she agreed to meet me, I would not be alone."

The two girls turned their eyes towards the group. Percy felt as if their eyes were x-rays, scanning him inside out, the way Alex analysed them.

"Americans." Eleana stated, matter-of-factly. True enough, her accent was English.

"New Yorkers?" Mizuki asked, dryly. "Or San Francisco?"

Jason cleared his throat. "Well, um, both."

"And a girl who can appreciate the outdoors." Eleana nodded to Calypso. "That itself earns a great deal of respect." She sighed, in apparent contentment. "I love this part of the temple grounds."

"I'm sure." Mizuki stated. "I don't have long. As I've said, I've persuaded everyone else to think that this garden is closed-off from viewing temporarily- for about twenty minutes. In truth, though, I don't have time. I am a _miko_ priestess. I have a wedding to get to in about thirty minutes."

"Here?" Alex asked.

"If only." Mizuki sighed in irritation. "A wedding complex not far away. If this conversation drags on for two long, I'm afraid we will have to postpone it until after the ceremony. Eleana can take you there." Eleana nodded. "So what are you here for?"

"Well, I would never do this- or even let _them_ do this- unless I feel that we are all in grave danger." Alex answered, gravely. Eleana's eyes darkened and flashed, whilst Mizuki went very still.

Finally, Mizuki spoke. "Is it _them?"_

"I can hardly be sure," Alex stated. "But you presume it." She said that sharply.

"All that I know, is sooner or later, your peaceful lives- in the temple and outside, will cease to exist." He said bluntly and frankly. "I know you love it here, and we all have respect for one another- so I would never take you out of the temple, unless I seriously believe that S.H.I.E.L.D is about to expose us."

"S.H.I.E.L.D?" Eleana asked, eyebrows arching. "The Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division?"

"Whoa," Percy muttered. "I think you and Alex were the first ones to say it by their full names."

"Well, we've always believed the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D chose their initials for a reason." Eleana responded. "They were always _so_ paranoid." She muttered.

"Otherwise, they would never have attacked a Norse god in New Mexico." Mizuki muttered. "Before actually managing to recruit him for their superhero dream team: the Avengers." She scoffed.

Eleana laughed.

"I have reason to believe our enemies may be behind it." That caught their attention.

"How can you be sure?" Mizuki asked.

"I'm not," Alex stated. "But these guys are about to be exposed."

They turned their attention to the three.

"My apologies." Eleana flashed them a dazzling smile. "Please forgive us. We've had quite a day. We seem to have left our manners back there," she said amused.

"I am Eleana," she extended a hand to shake. "And this is Mizuki."

Percy and Jason shook in turn, followed by Calypso.

"Percy," Percy answered. "Percy Jackson."

"Jason Grace." "Calypso." They all nodded in turn.

"So you came here with three or…"

"Four," Alex sighed. "It was necessary to leave our fourth member behind. This is a temple, and as endearing as he is, he can be quite excitable." Calypso flushed but didn't deny it.

"Interesting." Mizuki studied Alex hard.

"He's extremely skilled, one of the most brilliant inventors," Alex supplied. "And these are some of the greatest warriors the world has ever seen- not as flashy nor as big show-offs as the Avengers."

"But they're not ordinary, are they?" Mizuki looked at them. "Why else would S.H.I.E.L.D be so interested in you?"

Jason bit his lip. "Yeah, about that…"

Percy sighed. "It's a long story."

"If that's the case, I must make my way to the wedding now," Mizuki supplied. "Eleana, could you-"

"Of course." She nodded. "If you would come with me."

Alex nodded. He could see Mizuki was disturbed. More than disturbed, even more than troubled. He couldn't blame her. This was alarming news, terrible things to digest.

Eleana kept her gaze on them as Mizuki turned and made her way back to the temple buildings.

* * *

The wedding complex was quite a large one, and featured exquisite chapels of Christian and Shinto nature- even Buddhist. According to Eleana, it was where people in Japan were opting to be married more and more, as it had halls for main religious and civil ceremonies, and the receptions afterwards, without stretching much distance.

"Normally, weddings would be held within the Meiji shrine itself. But this is becoming more and more popular." She explained as she led them through spacious halls.

"Just what were you about to explain to us?" She asked. "I might be able to fill in some details."

Alex sighed. He gestured for Percy, Jason and Calypso to tell her their parts of the story.

They expected Eleana to look at them as if they were crazy but she showed absolutely no emotion when that bombshell dropped.

Eleana went very still when he said that, but most surprising of all, her reaction was just like Alex. She'd sighed. "If Norse gods exist… Why not the Greek ones?"

Learning she was a demigod made her eyes narrow. For once, her friendly and cheerful disposition seemed to darken. Percy, Jason and Calypso all got the impression that she was no fonder of her parents than Alex was- at least her immortal one.

Alex had explained to her everything else: from S.H.I.E.L.D to the ones after them, to everything which had happened since he first met them in Ireland. Even the oath he made the demigods and legacies swear.

"It might've made more sense to get their parents to swear," Eleana mused. "But I see why you didn't want to negotiate with them. You realise the others aren't going to be happy about this? If we are demigods, they would not like to know that their long-lost or presumably dead parents still live- and is enjoying everything up there, whereas everyone else suffered." There was a bitter, harsh note in her otherwise melodic voice.

Alex sighed. "No." He said frankly. He gave her a look. "Are you willing to help us?"

"I think you know better than that, Alex. This affects me to. There's no chance of me going back to England and living my life the way I want to, in peace without any supernatural things happening. Sooner or later they'll find me." She looked as if she had tasted something foul. Or worse, swallowed it, and was trying to digest it without throwing up. "I have absolutely no desire to reconnect with my missing parents- immortal or otherwise- it's far too late for that and I've already made my peace. I was happy without all this supernatural drama intruding on my life. I don't need my parents." She sighed. "Why now?" Her sourness worsened. "Oh, right. S.H.I.E.L.D. Well, it would have been wise to get the Olympian gods to swear that oath, but I see where you're coming from Alex. I don't trust them. Even when it comes to seeing them. I don't trust them to walk a dog, much less get into contact with any of their younger children."

Surprisingly no thunder. Perhaps it was because Japan was the domain of Amaterasu-ōmikami and the pantheon she led.

Eleana scowled. That looked out of place on her beautiful face. "Mizuki will not be pleased."

"Well, I know I'm not." Another voice responded. Only Alex didn't jump but Percy and Jason did, as did Calypso. It appeared demigods like Alex popped up whenever and wherever they could without anyone else knowing.

"Drypetis. I thought to find you in Sweden."

"I'm on my annual break," she responded. This one was beautiful like the other two, but with a mocha complexion and a narrow-looking elfin face with delicate features. Her chocolate hair was tinged with red, a natural auburn. Coffee-coloured eyes stared back at them beneath thin-arched eyebrows. She looked vaguely Middle-Eastern, but not quite Arabic.

Drypetis stared them down. She wasn't as tall as the other two girls but she was slender and her movements reminded them of a gazelle.

A thought struck Percy: _why is it that these girls were seriously hot?_

Then again, he glanced at Alex. Alex was taller than him and Jason, well-built with golden-blond hair like beaten gold. His features were perfectly sculptured, chiselled and straight, skin as pale as marble and unblemished. Even Percy had to admit he was one good-looking dude, even as compared to the other guys he'd seen in his life- the gods (like Thanatos and Apollo in his original form), demigods (like Luke) and all the mortals he'd seen. But he hadn't realised it because unlike Nico he felt no attraction to boys, and Alex radiated an icy-cold aura which put him off more than going anywhere near the Zeus Cabin- or his first airplane flight experience. He wasn't a threat, but he certainly didn't encourage warmth either.

"I had a feeling you might be here," Alex said dryly. "When Mizuki showed up with Eleana- well, the three of you are usually tied at the hip, so to speak."

Drypetis cocked her head to one side. "Alex. It's been a long while. You're looking quite good, if only we met in happier circumstances. Alas, I can't say that I am pleased about all this."

"No," Alex said darkly. She turned her eyes towards Percy, Jason and Calypso. "I am Drypêtis. I confess, I am not currently at liberty to share my surname with anyone else."

"Even more careful than me." Alex only sounded slightly amused.

"Don't be so sure," Drypetis shot back. "I think you've been cleverer than most of us about this. I can't help but be impressed."

"I confess that is not entirely warranted." Alex admitted. He looked at the three of them. "Well, I've asked Eleana. What about you?"

Drypetis' eyes darkened. "I don't like this and I don't want this. I want absolutely nothing to do with my long-lost father. I didn't even want to know his name. I was happy without him. He wanted to go, so why not let him stay gone? And now you've come on our doorstep, ready to bring us under their gaze. What if we don't want to do their dirty work? All we want is to live our lives in peace. Now that the Greek gods have found us, I don't think they're going to let that happen. They don't want that. They _want_ to get us killed- even if we _are_ their children. They _will_ get us killed, fathers or no."

The three campers took a step back at those words. Percy even winced. He thought he'd heard that before from Luke, but unlike Luke, he sensed that both Drypetis and Eleana- and probably (most likely) Alex and Mizuki wanted absolutely nothing to do with their immortal parents, whereas Luke, no matter how much he denied it, wanted recognition. As weird as it was, it was like he was a teenage hooligan, one of the rich kids rebelling to get their parents' attention. And Percy had met a lot of those.

"Do you think I want this as well?" Alex muttered bitterly. "You know my history- as much as I tried to hide it. But this isn't about them, it's about us. We're being hunted. The gods can take care of themselves, they've always had, and they've clearly made it quite clear and shown that they do not need or want us. That's okay. I don't have any expectations of my father, and I feel the exact same way as you do. But we need to survive. It's not a matter of trust; it's mutual self-interest- and not with Olympus- but them." He gestured to the other demigods and the sorceress.

"But how do we know they still won't try to kill us?" Drypetis snapped.

"We don't." Alex conceded. Percy and Jason opened their mouths, about to say something but he held out a hand.

"But gods are like many rich people: they tend to favour some of their children to the point of completely ignoring the others. These-" he waved a hand towards Percy and Jason. "Are two of them. If we leave them alone, S.H.I.E.L.D will capture them. Their existence and that of the Olympians, will be made known to an increasingly paranoid and hostile mortal world, steps will be taken to imprison, monitor and restrict the freedoms of, even kill these demigods. In fact, if I know these people, which I do, they will try to use the demigods to get to their parents. It's like them to get kids to their parents." He shrugged. "I'm not asking to be my father's favourite. I don't want that, it's too late and too much has happened for either of us to build any relationship, but Jason and Percy have had better relationships with their immortal parents. Maybe even their mortal ones- as compared to us. If we save the lives of our more fortunate siblings, we will be able to survive."

"But they will never leave us in peace!" Drypetis raged. "Not after this!"

"Who says we answer to them?" Alex's eyes glinted. "I know you still pray, Drypetis. I know at least two of you do. You don't think I don't as well? If the Greek gods and the Norse are real, we know full well who _we_ serve in this cosmos. They just have to respect it. Based on what they've told me, Olympus and Asgard are currently having a tense relationship, at the moment. No matter how powerful either of them are, they can't afford a fight on all sides.

"I admit," he sighed. "I do struggle with being a good Catholic at times. Things like forgiveness and honouring one's father and mother tend to get at me. But it doesn't mean I can't try, and I know that He wants me to do the right thing- to save you and them from further suffering and other kids from misery. And I know your creed: the Truth and the Lie. What does the Truth tell you?"

There was silence.

Drypetis leaned back. Her eyes narrowed.

"Clever, Alex, very clever. Using my strong philosophical and religious beliefs against me. You know I believe in Good Words, Good Thoughts and Good Deeds. Thing is, when you step into another pantheon's threshold, you don't know how much of that carries there. Do you think the Olympians will leave us alone and forget about us if we save their favourite children?"

"Are their morals even the same?" Eleana asked. "After all, they cheat, lie, steal, trick and commit adultery. I thought you were the Catholic, Alex. Can you-" she turned to the other demigods. "Honestly deny your parents don't cheat, lie, steal, trick, brawl and commit adultery?"

Percy and Jason grimaced at that.

"Exactly." Drypetis stated flat-out. "They don't know the concept of Truth. The Truth and Lie are mixed up with them."

"Maybe." Alex said. "But as I said, this isn't about them. And they do have their own laws. We help their children, we go back to our normal lives, and it will be as if none of us ever existed to the other. If they can ignore us in the beginning, they can certainly do it after this. We can act like we never knew each other existed, as we always did before. That's what you want, isn't it? Well, it's what they want too." He insisted. "They've already ignored us from the beginning. They've made it clear. This benefits us too."

"You think it's that simple, Alex?" Eleana asked.

"Our lives may never be simple, but the Olympians each have their own code- mortal or immortal, everyone has their code. The gods of wisdom value that and knowledge above everything else. They also tend to be quite sensible most if not all the time. Like I said, we all serve different deities. No matter how powerful Olympus and Asgard are, can they truly afford conflict on all sides? As king of the gods, Zeus and Odin each have their own responsibilities and they can't afford a bad track record- no mortal or immortal king does. It would undermine their reign. The Greeks believe in the concept of _Xenia-_ hospitality for guests, and cutting down Hubris- deadly pride. Those are only two. If we do this, Olympus will have no choice but to ignore us, and let us live our lives without them- just the way we want it."

"And if they jump the gun and decide it's better to be safe than sorry?" Eleana demanded. "Kill us all?"

"Not if they owe us for saving their kids." Alex stated. "Let's see what our friends have to say about this, shall we?"

"Interesting." Mizuki said sharply. It turned our she had been there for some time, listening to every word, the whole time. In truth, Alex had anticipated this. Mizuki could learn through observation too.

Her eyes were narrowed, and her hair was pulled back in a braid, with colourful ties, like the priestesses in the temple.

"They may still kill us," she stated flat-out. "They will break their word."

Percy couldn't stand this anymore. "You're their kids!" He blurted, ignoring the irritated look Alex gave him.

Before they disembarked for the Meiji Shrine, Alex had sternly instructed the three of them to let him do the talking- they were going to be suspicious enough as it was if they learned there were others involved- including gods.

"Does that mean anything?" Her eyes narrowed. "The titan Kronos swallowed his own children because they _may_ be a threat. He dethroned his own father. After that, he was dethroned and cut up by his own son. They've made it clear; family ties and blood ties mean absolutely nothing to them. Otherwise, well, we wouldn't be having this problem now would we?"

Percy took a deep breath. "They aren't like Kronos."

"Maybe, maybe not." She looked at him. "We don't know them. How can we be sure?"

"They didn't approve of this plan." Alex said calmly.

"Wonderful. Now I am certain that they will kill us, offspring or not."

Percy and Jason opened their mouths this time but Alex beat them to it.

"Why? Because they owe us if we help their favourite kids, smoothing their re-emergence into the mortal world if it isn't possible to hide any longer, or making the heroes stronger in order to prepare themselves for the worst? No one likes this, not even I do, but we all agree that this is necessary. We're stronger together. Besides, these are our half-siblings. What does it matter who our parents are? They might not have been abandoned to the same degree as us, but we can't afford to abandon them ourselves. Like you've said, Eleana, sooner or later they will all find us. It's only a matter of time."

The three girls regarded him silently.

They exchanged covert glances. Alex just stood there. For three full minutes, everyone was silent.

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Mizuki asked. "We can hardly refuse if they request it of us."

Somehow, Percy got the feeling that she was not talking about them.

"Technically, yes, you do have a choice, but I think you also know what will happen to our survival in the long-run." Alex responded. "We have little time."

They regarded him in silence again.

Eleana sighed. "You've already proven your point." She sighed, her mood clearly ruined. "If they will leave us in peace… Then yes. We are the servants of other deities, if we follow other religions. And it's clear we're not getting paid for this, so our payment would be that."

"Then it's a good thing you-" he nodded to Drypetis. "Are Zoroastrian, and pray over Ahura Mazda's sacred flames, and you-" he inclined his head towards Mizuki. "Are a Shinto priestess and your patron goddess is Amaterasu. They can never take that away from us. Lives and dreams, but not faith. And our faith and beliefs do not lie in them. We owe others our allegiance."

Normally this would not be that encouraging, but there was something in the three girls' eyes as they once again exchanged glances.

"Very well." Mizuki stated. "But Alex-" her voice darkened. "Pray that this works."

* * *

Frank was not enjoying himself.

Firstly, his demigod instincts, toned after battle and practice, hiked up on alert when he sensed he was being followed. Second, two guys in black attacked him, one after the other. One of them actually tried to taser him, which made Frank's eyes blur and water, only for the guy to get sucker-punched.

Thirdly, the second man fired a bullet. Frank barely dodged, then cursed as he realised these were mortals, not monsters. He would welcome a monster attack after this.

Frank realised he needed to escape after this, but he didn't have much time.

He bumped into somebody, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember ever being so relieved to see someone.

"Nico!" He sighed. "No time," Nico grabbed his arm with a surprisingly strong vice-like grip. He dragged him behind some buildings, pressing their backs flat as the mortals ran past.

"We're definitely being hunted." He muttered. "Listen Frank, the camps are going to need some neutral ground to meet on. Once Percy, Jason, Leo, Calypso and Alex return with their friends, we need to meet them face-to-face. See what they've got."

Frank looked at him. "And then?"

"And then we try to compromise." Nico's eyes were grim. "I don't know what these guys have been through but they don't trust anyone. But we need them."

Frank sighed again. "Reyna said Alex didn't tell a single lie. Or well, her dogs believe that."

"Yeah." Nico agreed. "So, your Romans know any safe ground? I've been scouting as well."

Frank shrugged helplessly. "There are a number of mortal-free places, but somewhere where we can all get to easily? From both camps? Not easy, man."

"I know," Nico admitted. "Just keep trying. And be on your guard. You've heard about the Lotus Hotel. But two guys were following me when I returned from Percy's parents' apartment. So be on your guard."

Frank's eyes narrowed. "S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"Maybe." Nico conceded. "But Alex did mention someone else was kidnapping demigod." His eyes narrowed, dangerously and in hate.

"Yeah, but who?"

"Alex said he didn't know." Nico sighed. "And Reyna's dogs believe him. He was telling the truth, I know that much. Those guys." He scowled. "Whoever they are-"

The sound of tyres filled the air. Nico cursed and grabbed Frank's hand, shadow-travelling some place safe.

* * *

"And this is the-" Leo was raving excitedly about his new mode of transport. Similar to the _Argo II,_ but not quite. Only Drypetis showed a keen interest in all of this.

Mizuki and Eleana were polite, but Jason could tell they were casually avoiding Leo and the rest of them as much as they could. Only Alex could be seen talking to them, and it looked like Mizuki and Eleana were debating with themselves and him, on whether this was the right choice.

Mizuki had explained to the temple priests and priestesses that she would have to go away because a relative was seriously sick. Now, she was no longer dressed in the costume of the Shinto priestesses, but in black pants, top and a close-cropped jacket, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes looked cold, but Jason no longer thought of Khione when he saw her. In fact, she reminded him of-

"Artemis." Calypso appeared next to him. "She does remind you of Artemis, doesn't she?"

He stared at her. "Were you reading my thoughts or something?"

"No, but I was thinking the exact same thing." She stared. "But Artemis doesn't have any demigod children. Then again," she conceded when Jason opened his mouth. "Athena also took a maiden vow."

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Jason muttered, referring to Athena's demigod children. She had none as Minerva, precisely because the goddess hated Romans and as long as he remembered, he had always been taught that Athena/Minerva was a maiden goddess."

"You know how she was born, right?" Calypso looked at him. When Jason nodded his head, she continued, "Her children were born in the same way."

The expression on his face must've been priceless, slack-jawed, gaping and all. But Calypso said: "Children of Athena are created from the divine thoughts of their mother and the mortal ingenuity of their father."

Jason opened his mouth and closed it. He did it again. Calypso didn't seem to notice as she frowned. "I wonder if Artemis found a way around that vow, like Athena."

"If she did, wouldn't she know about it? Chiron said the gods didn't know about Alex. I don't think they knew about Mizuki."

"True." Calypso admitted.

"So, I know it's not for me to say this, but any idea on how we keep the gods from incinerating them once we get to camp?" Percy asked.

Jason sighed. "Like he said, we need them. More than we know."

"Interesting." Drypetis' eyebrows rose delicately. "Ingenious."

Leo puffed up with pride. "Yeah, I try."

"And you have two repeating crossbows?" Drypetis then frowned. "Hm. I would have used something else."

"Huh?"

"Are they your main weapons? What do they fire?"

"Well, mainly bolts strong enough to explode through concrete."

"This Celestial Bronze?"

"Yup." Leo popped the _p._ "And the oars aren't just retractable and self-automated- they change into spears."

"But you would hardly be thrusting them through their holes?" Drypetis asked, sceptically. "The holes are too narrow and difficult. What if the oars break?"

"They're reinforced." Leo argued. "And automatic."

"Still, why not-" she gave a few ideas. She knew it was unwise to drop her defences so easily, but she could not help it.

Leo showed them the controls. The keyboard monitor had the aviation controls of a leer jet, a dubstep soundboard, sensors to control various parts of the ship, even Wii remotes. Drypetis looked impressed- though mildly and grudgingly.

Leo's eyes had lit up as they spoke. Could this be? Was she-

But then again, she could just as easily be one of Athena's kids.

"Very interesting." She cast her eyes around the ship.

"Huh." Percy looked at Jason and Calypso over there. "So… Interested in mechanics, seems to know her stuff. Like Leo, isn't it?"

Calypso's eyes widened. And Jason's. "She could be." She agreed. "But then again, she could be one of Athena's."

Percy shook his head. "I don't think so."

* * *

The Olympians were silent.

They couldn't pretend that didn't stung. The conversation with the new demigods…

Well. And now one of them was most likely Hephaestus'.

"They could have said things nicer." Someone mumbled.

But even then they couldn't deny the truth of those words. No god could dney that they had never lied, tricked or committed adultery. Their own kids…

"What did Alex say?" Athena murmured. "He said his mother was in prison… For child abuse and murder."

Everyone stared at her, and a few even gasped.

"I can't imagine it." Demeter muttered. As someone who adored her children, including the one in the Underworld…

She shot an angry glare at Zeus. "Just who did you hook up with?" She demanded.

Hera's eyes narrowed. "I would like to know that as well."

Zeus scowled yet again. "I told you: I don't remember. I can even swear it by the Styx, or anything else that you put me up with, but for the life of me I can't remember anyone who might've been his mother."

"Some Irish chick?"

"No." He scowled. "And I never travelled to Ireland either."

"I can't remember anything either." Hephaestus said in astonishment.

"Drypêtis is a Persian name," Athena stated. "It was the name of a Persian princess, the daughter of Darius III and the sister-in-law of Alexander the Great. Sister of Stateira and wife of Hephaestion."

Hephaestus shook his head. "Zoroastrian… Iranian…. Nope, I got nothing." He heaved out a gusty sigh. Then he looked bitter, remembering what she said. That actually hurt.

"Did you see those girls?" Hermes' eyebrows rose. "And Alex? Isn't it just insane how _uncommonly_ good-looking they are? Even for our standards?"

"And Drypetis doesn't look like you at all." Apollo pointed out. Lucky kid.

"And yet none of you remember their mothers- or fathers."

"We might be jumping the gun here." Athena warned. "Remember: just because Drypetis has shown a keen interest in mechanics, and Alex looks just like Father in his younger years, it does not mean that they are necessarily their offspring." Everyone else gave her an incredulous look.

"Well, one of my former Hunters, Josephine is a mechanic." Artemis sighed. "Her mother was Hecate. Athena is right, we really shouldn't presume."

But everyone else had noted the unnaturally strong resemblance Alex had with Zeus as well. In fact, he was almost completely identical to Zeus during the first Titanomachy and the first millennium of his reign.

Athena saw this as well, frowning. "Then again… The resemblance between them is… Uncommon.

"Mother was Irish… Died in jail for child abuse and murder…" She murmured. Athena sighed and looked at her father. "Absolutely no idea?" Zeus' face darkened, like thunder clouds in a storm and he shook his head.

"Are we even sure that they're demigods?" Demeter protested.

"I am certain of it." Athena admitted. "Could you not tell?" That question was directed to the others.

Only a few mumbled in assent. The rest shook their heads.

She sighed. "It may be because they are Roman. Perhaps we should test them?"

"And how do we do that if we don't even remember their mortal parents in the first place?" Hephaestus pointed.

Athena's grey eyes were steely as she spoke: "I have an idea."

* * *

 _Mediterranean Sea, Greek waters …_

"What makes you think they'll agree to this?" Mizuki challenged.

"The same points I put with the three of you." Alex said flatly.

"Not all of them will agree."

"I don't aim to ask all of them." Alex looked at her.

"But you will ask her." She stated.

"She has already agreed to this beforehand." Mizuki froze.

Her eyes then narrowed. "Her and… Him?!"

Alex nodded.

Mizuki absorbed this in silence. "They truly believe this is the wisest course of action?" Her voice sounded truly incredulous and sceptical.

"We all believe it is the _only_ course of action." He retaliated. "Even _I_ am faced with that fact. I can't deny it any more than they can. And don't say that you can- you're smarter than this, any idiot knows that."

Mizuki stared out at the Mediterranean. Not long before they reach Athens. Dusk had fallen and she could see the lights were out in the distance.

"What if they turn against us?" She asked in a low voice.

"Then there is always the contingency." He stated. "We are not alone in this fight. The demigods have already given me their word- and the Legacies. Are you sure we won't be able to take care of ourselves?"

"Fair point." She did not take her eyes off the approaching city.

Alex sighed and turned, placing both hands on the railing. "I don't pretend that they are ideal and perfect, nor trustworthy, but even they have their code. Xenia- the laws of hospitality and Guest Right. Arete- the laws of Excellence, Effectiveness, Efficiency and living up to one's full potential. The law against Hubris- Deadly Pride, and arrogance. Laws against cannibalism and the murder of one's flesh and blood."

"Laws which they have broken." Mizuki stated.

"Not Xenia- not unless their guests violate the terms of their Guest Right."

"The Love goddess did that when she prompted Paris to elope with Helen from right under Menelaus' nose and hospitality." Mizuki retorted. "Publicly humiliating him and harming his reputation, despite his kindness. Undermining his authority as a king and endangering Sparta, Greece- and Troy. They've also either participated in the murder of relatives, like Kronos or helped those like Orestes and Agamemnon slay their own kin; it was the goddess of Maidens and the Hunt who ordered Agamemnon to slay Iphigenia, his daughter, for the crime of the father breaching her sacred grounds." She paused, taking him in. "And Hubris only applies to mortals."

Alex was silent.

"You of all people understand better than most: the more you trust, the more you are betrayed. This is no different."

"I've already said this was a matter of mutual self-interest." Alex kept his eyes on the city.

"Then keep your senses alert even when you sleep. You don't know when they may literally stab you in the back. Even your own father and mine." She turned and walked away.

* * *

This was the second time they visited Athens and Percy, Jason and even Leo kept their senses peeled and on high alert. Monsters were wild and unpredictable in the ancient lands. But everything seemed fine with the mortals. Most were out, partying in the clubs. They could hear music from the streets.

"I've booked a room in a hotel." Alex muttered. "We need to change."

They turned to stare at him.

"Party time?" Eleana asked.

"In the royal palace- yes. I have the invites."

"Cool!" That was obviously Leo.

"Don't make me regret this." Alex gave him a sharp look.

Leo held out his hands. "'Kay, 'kay, chill man."

"This is a serious matter," Alex retorted. "If we attract attention, we have not only monsters and mortal police to worry about, but S.H.I.E.L.D. If they haven't caught us on CCTV already." He said, threateningly.

In truth, Drypetis had already hacked into the CCTV cameras, and just about every security camera in Athens from the ship. Still, if Alex's threat could ensure no one made mistakes…

Exchanging their clothes, Drypetis walked forwards. "I'll be on control backup in case anything goes wrong." She warned them.

"Do you have somewhere you can operate safely?" Alex asked.

She smiled. "Who do you think helped us out?"

Alex smiled in response.

"Right- the three of you, please come with me." He directed them to the closet.

"Our newest contact has agreed to meet, but we are meeting somewhere populated with a lot of important people." He explained.

Jason and Percy exchanged bemused glances. "Is that wise?" Calypso asked, crinkling her brow.

"Quite frankly, I trust her judgement. It's when it's too quiet nowadays which worries me, especially with S.H.I.E.L.D ready to burst out of nowhere." He glanced quizzically at the three of them. "Eleana could you-" "On it," their British friend replied. "This way, please Calypso. We need to get you suited up."

"Here, this one should fit you," Alex stated, almost- _fondly?_ He handed a suit on a hanger to Jason. "And this one goes to you." He handed one to Percy.

Percy's suit was navy blue, Jason's was even darker in colour. Alex had quickly gotten into his suit which appeared black at first glance, then turned out be a very dark blue-grey. He looked extremely… Elegant. And again, it showed Percy and Jason just how good-looking their friend was, which was bewildering enough as it was, especially as Alex's aura of detached coldness, or icy efficiency would deter anyone from approaching him. But he was undisputedly one of the most handsome men they had ever seen- even compared to the gods.

His features were perfectly chiselled, and classical as if carved from some marble statue, but not even a master artist could sculpt like that. The perfectly straight, thin nose, high cheekbones, chiselled lips, and a sculptured, strong jawline…

He looked bizarrely familiar.

Percy himself frowned trying to see who it might be, it was like _déjà vu,_ trying to grasp something that was on the fringes of his mind. He _knew_ it was there, he knew he had seen someone like Alex before. But Alex's golden-blond hair ruined the image he was trying to recall. All he could think of was Apollo with his beaten-gold hair, but no, though there was a tiny bit of resemblance, he didn't think it was Apollo in his godly form who looked just like Alex.

"Here." Alex broke them out of their thoughts (frustratingly trying to recall which god he was, and failing yet again). He handed them each a tie. He was already wearing his blue one, Jason received a tie of dark violet whereas Percy's was emerald. Alex came forwards and straightened their cuffs, collars and helped them with their ties. A surprising move yet again. Almost affectionate.

"When you meet our next contact," he stated. "Try not to stare, alright? Or gape or anything like that."

"Huh? Why?" Percy asked.

Alex shook his head. "You'll see when we get there."

"Why all the secrecy?" Jason asked.

"Because you never know if someone else is listening in, or if it is the right time to discuss such things." Alex said in a flat tone that allowed no arguments.

"This party will be filled with VIPs. And we'll be in the Royal Palace. It's a ball."

"Wait- what?!" They both yelped, but Alex took no heed of them, as he handed them each a pair of perfect, hand-tooled leather shoes to wear, smirking as he did.

* * *

Aglaia stared outside the palace. A storm was brewing. Literally and figuratively. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Andrew." She spoke.

"Yes?" Her companion looked up from where he had been fixing his cuff-links. They were due to meet with their companions and the demigods of Camp Half-Blood soon enough.

"Can I ask you a question?" She said softly. "You were with… Him during our medical check-ups, am I right?"

Andrew rose, his hair was dark and he was handsome like all the others. But his most striking feature was his steel-grey eyes, like storm clouds.

"Of course. Eleana was in charge of us both, but we had our check-ups together."

"Even after two thousand years…" Aglaia mused.

"Well, what was it that Marcus Aurelius said?" Aglaia struggled to hide a smile as he said that. "'Do not act as if you are going to live for ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, do good.'" She quoted.

He smiled. "Yes, that."

"For all his success and legacy, I think he regretted living like that during his human lifetime." Aglaia pondered.

"You of all people know he has many regrets." Andrew said softly.

Aglaia was silent for a moment. "Yes." She agreed, softly.

"But what I wanted to say is… Did he ever… Take something to prevent me from becoming pregnant?" Andrew looked up at her in surprise.

"What brought this up?" He asked, bewildered. Aglaia sighed, masking her embarrassment. "Well, just a thought. Eleana is being professional, as always, in this field. And I dare not ask him, as… Well, I don't want to reopen old wounds, but… If a couple did what we did, as much as we did, shouldn't I be pregnant by now? Unless there was something wrong with me? But I never made it to my graduation, did I?"

Andrew was silent for a long moment too. "Yes." He admitted. "Yes, he did take something to prevent you from becoming pregnant." Aglaia looked at him, in shock. "Eleana and Mizuki both made something that would prove an efficient method of contraception- even to gods."

"But why?" She asked, bewildered. "That was one of his main motives in his mortal life, wasn't it? Well, perhaps not," she conceded. "But he did understand the importance of it. He never had the time."

Andrew sighed at that. "And surely," she continued. "If he had regrets about that, even though everything he's built throughout his mortal life, the empire and all, is gone, surely he would want-" but Andrew shook his head.

"Even if everything was left standing, he still would not get you pregnant." He paused. "I confess, I did ask him about that, Aglaia. He told me that having lost everyone… Well, he finds it hard to risk starting again, just to lose everything. You, namely, and any child of yours. Then there's the fact that you two aren't married yet. He remembered what you told him about your biological parents. He doesn't want to ruin you, especially not publicly. This isn't Monaco, and an illegitimate child of yours will never be accepted, and you will be disgraced- things will get worse, if S.H.I.E.L.D, the Avengers or any mortal finds out about your child's heritage."

Aglaia was stunned into silence. She knew he cared for her, and he did tell her she was the third person he ever fell in love with, but…

She did not realise he cared for her this much.

"It's been over two millennia," Andrew said, smiling sadly. "In some ways, he's never changed. The greatness is still there, for example. But he has a whole ocean full of regrets. His worst nightmare would be to lose you. I think he feels he cares too much for you."

Aglaia sighed. "Is it even possible? Between us? I mean, I am a demigoddess after all. Half-immortal, but still mortal."

"Maybe," Andrew stated. "But he doesn't care."

Aglaia turned back to the windows, facing the thundering sky. "The Triumvirate are still a threat. Nero and the others… They've reformed."

"Maybe. But we've got him on our side, and he's worth over a million of them put together." Andrew stated. "And I am not just stating this because of bias."

"The Triumvirate are the least of our worries." Aglaia stated. "If he's right, which even I must admit, he usually is, then _they_ are back."

"You do realise that you've taken a great risk in this?" Andrew nearly demanded. "Aglaia- you know he won't be pleased-" he began heatedly.

Aglaia shook her head. "He cannot stop me. No one can. Not from conquering our enemies."

"You should have been alive with him when he was busy conquering the world." Andrew scowled.

She turned to scrutinise him. He was striking in his charcoal-grey suit. His hair was neatly combed, slick with gel.

Aglaia sighed. "We had better get going." She gave him a stern look. "And need I ask you not to say anything about this?"

Andrew smirked. "Of course not."

"Thank you."

* * *

Cars rolled in, many of them Rolls-Royces or limousines, sports cars like Ferraris and Porsches. The doors were opened by awaiting men in neatly-pressed tuxedos, porters, valets, butlers, et cetera, came forwards to open the doors, letting the elegantly-dressed guests pour through.

Alex had brought Eleana as a 'date' and Leo was going with Calypso (no surprises there), whilst Percy was with Mizuki and Jason with Eleana. Drypetis had chosen to stay behind as their back-up person.

It sat wrong with both Percy and Jason to bring 'dates' but Alex assured them that many people came escorting someone who was not in a romantic relationship with them. "Like bringing a plus-one." He promised. "Besides, this is nothing but show." No one was getting betrayed.

Waiters in creamy white jackets came offering canapés, hors d'oeuvres and flutes of champagne among other things. Many were local delicacies which were incredibly delicious. But it was not for them to enjoy the party.

People toasted one another and chatted gaily. Music played, the chandeliers glowed- it was a scene from a movie. But even though Alex appeared relaxed (and he had instructed the others to appear like that as well), he was on the lookout. Not just for any potential spy, assassin, or S.H.I.E.L.D agent, but monsters too. Or security guards looking alert and suspicious. But he found nothing.

He was also on the lookout for their contact. Who so happened to be absent. Alex frowned inwardly.

Then his eye caught something.

"Good evening." A smartly-dressed, handsome young man appeared in front of him.

The man's hair was dark, and his eyes were steely grey. "How very nice of you to join us." He extended a hand.

Alex had frozen for a few milliseconds before he took the man's hand. "Andrew." He stated. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" Andrew answered. "I was invited. And you wanted to see me, didn't you? I saved you an extra trip by coming here."

"Is this, err, our contact?" Jason asked, tentatively. "One of them." Alex answered. "And let's keep our voices down, shall we? Jason, Percy, Leo and Calypso, meet Andrew Ramirez." His eyes sharpened.

"What the heck are you playing at?"

Andrew merely smiled. "Come now, Alex. You know me better than that."

"Unfortunately, yes." Alex grunted. He nearly rolled his eyes. "Who else is here?"

"Just her. You don't need everyone." He smirked. Taking a sip from his champagne, he eyed the campers and sorceress. "So… Not survivors, I see."

"No." Alex said frankly. "New Yorkers?" He sounded amused. Alex gave him an irritated look. "Or… Let me guess? San Francisco."

Leo looked at him flat-out. "Dude, you have _got_ to teach me that." He looked at Alex and the girls they had met in Tokyo. "All of you."

"Another time," Alex said, curbing his annoyance. "Just you?"

"And her. It was a good idea."

"Whose was it?"

"Who do you think?"

Alex's eyes narrowed. "This has your fingerprints all over it."

"But I'm not the only one." Alex stifled a groan.

"Why?" He sighed.

"Why not?" Andrew smirked. "Did you really think you were the number one pal on your own?" Alex gave him the evil eye.

"Great." He growled. "You tend to annoy me; do you know that?"

"I know," Andrew said cheerfully. "I also know that you love me."

"Love you my-" and Alex muttered several foul obscenities in English and Irish under his breath. _"Ouch."_ Andrew put his hand over his heart, feigning hurt.

"I am glad you are in Greece." Alex hissed, drawing closer to Andrew. "Because there are a lot of ruins. So, if a column happens to fall and hits you in the head-"

"You'd laugh. I know. But you'd also mourn." Andrew smirked. "If you kill me, you'd also regret it."

Alex cursed in Irish and English some more. He rolled his eyes. "This is Percy, Jason, Leo and Calypso."

"Interesting." Andrew gave a winsome smile. "Pleasure. Like us?" He asked Alex sceptically. He sipped his champagne again. "But not like us?"

"No." Alex managed to calm himself. This was the only person who could annoy him like this. The one person and he had to meet him right now. But he was right, Alex thought grudgingly. They would need Andrew, and for all his faults, even Alex didn't really hate him. But he would rather _not_ admit that.

"Where is she?" He asked, really rolling his eyes now.

"Coming." He smirked. "Oh, it's you." Mizuki sounded bored as she reappeared. Eleana nodded courteously towards Andrew.

"Mizuki and Eleana." He gave a charming smile. Alex looked like he tasted something sour.

"Andrew." Mizuki didn't look too pleased either. "I didn't know you'd be here." She gave a glance towards Alex.

"Neither did I," he muttered.

"Shame, isn't it? But it was a good suggestion, so I went." Andrew ate a canapé. "How the heck does she tolerate you?" Alex muttered.

"Well, she's… Her. So really, you can't say anything about that." He gave the others a nonchalant glance. "They don't know much do they?"

"It wasn't wise to give them the names of our contacts until we've met." Alex muttered. "Plus, you know I don't break anyone's trust."

"Same old Alex." Andrew sighed. He took a glance at Leo. "Scrawny, but sassy. Oil stains in your hands- you can't get those off, can you?" He smirked. "Even Drypetis struggles with that at times. How is she anyway? Still insisting she'd rather stay as controls and backup?"

"Um…" That was Percy and Jason. "Oh, right. New Yorker- but you look half-Greek- or in the very least Mediterranean, but I'd say Greek. Hm. Do you like the beach?" he grinned mischievously. "Or the sea as a whole? Sailing, swimming, surfing- those sorts of things? You also look like a soldier, but crossed with a rebel. A rebel soldier, who doesn't fight for a rebellion. Huh. A good, strong, loyal and charismatic leader." He glanced at Jason. "Well, look at you. Similar. Very similar. Well, you're obviously blonde," he drawled. "But strong, serious, with a bit of a soft spot somewhere. Not as much as an easy-going guy, but pretty mild as compared to some of your colleagues, or should I say, comrades?"

Calypso was next. "Hm. Greek, I'd say, or rather, that's the closest I can get. You don't seem like anyone I've ever met, but you are quite the gardener, aren't you? Nature- that's your thing. But you're not someone who's supposed to be underestimated, are you? Pretty powerful? Perhaps not in combat, but heck, everyone has their abilities, right?"

He turned his smirk towards Alex. "So where'd you pick them up, Alex? Why New York?"

"I would much rather say it, when I know she's here."

"Well, you won't have to wait for very long." He turned his head towards the stairs and everyone gasped simultaneously.

There, on the stairs like a movie, stood the most beautiful woman they'd ever seen. She had the most delicate and beautiful face any of them had ever seen. A perfect heart-shaped face with high, elegant cheekbones a tiny, delicately upturned, but straight nose, a lush rosebud mouth, rosy and rounded. This girl had the longest, thickest black lashes framing her slanted almond eyes, and a delicately shaped and fine jawline and chin, even a widow's peak that made her face truly heart-shaped. Her skin was luminous, glowing like mother-of-pearl, flawless and smooth.

Aglaia had arrived.

And Alex knew she would spell trouble for the gods. He didn't have anything against that.

Her smile was magic.

She was dressed in a gown of emerald shot-silk that shifted to silver and turquoise encrusted with a few crystals and flounces that clung to her curves and flowed down her slenderness like a waterfall. Her minimal jewellery and gauzy silk wrap draped around her shoulders only served to accentuate her glow and beauty.

"Didn't I tell you not to stare?" Alex sighed, exasperatedly. His normally limitless patience was worn thin. But he knew this had been inevitable. At least everybody stared- not just the four of them.

This was not a promising evening. The arrival of Andrew Ramirez showed that. The fact that Aglaia would have normally worn her mask to meet them… Why would she do that?

Alex scanned his brain for countless possible reasons as to why the normally cautious Aglaia would do such a thing. Then again, would she have required an invitation if she went in disguise. Verification and proof? Perhaps this was easier, but risky. Still very risky.

Irritation levels rising on this rare occasion, Alex decided he would play along.

For now.

If he saw the glint in Aglaia's eyes, he may have had a clue as to what she was planning.

* * *

 **Sorry, I realised that this chapter was getting far too long for my planned action scene to take place- so I'm afraid it's going to take place in the next chapter- SORRY, SO SORRY! Please forgive me, I didn't mean to cut it out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**To** **Guest Reviewer** **: I promise once this is done, you will** _ **NOT**_ **be calling Alex a Gary Stu. This is only the beginning of the story, Alex's story is much more than he lets on- and he proves just what he's capable and incapable of, soon.**

 **This Alex conceals the worst things about himself from the demigods of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter- precisely because he's following orders. But he'll start to show them soon enough. And don't think Aglaia or any of the others as Mary Sues or Gary Stus.**

 **AT THIS STAGE THEY NEED THE CAMPERS TO TRUST THEM. AND THEY'RE WILLING TO CONCEAL A GREAT DEAL OF THINGS ABOUT THEMSELVES, ESPECIALLY IF IT PUTS THEM OFF OR CAUSES MISTRUST.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : I don't own PJO/HoO/Trials of Apollo. Or the Avengers. You know that. **

* * *

_In New York…_

Tony Stark ran through his laptop screen.

He was trying to fix those damned pictures.

He didn't know what on earth was wrong with the satellite imagery and CCTV cameras, but they sure as hell were fine when he looked at them!

 _If it isn't the tech…_

Then it had to be the kids.

The kids which included Frank Zhang. Frank whose mother had been targeted by the same terrorists who were responsible for Tony's transition into a better man (good side-effect), and catastrophic near-death experience, days of imprisonment, torture, threats and the death of many good soldiers (all bad things).

Why did they target Emily Zhang?

Tony found it curious that these kids only had one known parent. He found it ever-so-interesting that they got into a lot of trouble and the majority walked away scotch-free.

Not to mention, they could hardly have met beforehand. Percy Jackson lived in New York his entire life, Annabeth Chase lived in Virginia and California, Frank Zhang was a Canadian from Vancouver, Hazel Levesque came from New Orleans, then Alaska in the _1940s…_ Did he really need to continue?

Tony found Emily Zhang's file. It was a lengthy one. He was sure the Cap would agree, she was a damned good soldier. Her record was exemplary. And then unexpectedly, she went on maternity leave in 1993-94. No mention of the father. No mention of a spouse or a boyfriend, so Tony assumed the kid could've been the product of a one-night stand. But he looked through the pictures of Emily Zhang in her uniform on tours of duty, with her comrades and locals, he noticed one picture held a bit of a blur at the edges. Which was weird, considering that the pictures were all good-quality, and showed nothing or no one else in a bad view. Everything was clear and defined, except for that one blur at the edges of the photograph of Emily Zhang with some of her own troops and local Afghan soldiers. Tony zoomed it and vaguely saw the outline of a man, in leather, with _sunglasses?_

Tony blinked. No, that can't be right. But there it was, the very blurry image of a Caucasian man dressed as a biker (a biker of all places?). It didn't make sense.

Tony scanned the other pictures to see if someone similar could be found. There. A picture of Emily Zhang with her teammates. And next to them, a hazy image of a man in a Canadian military uniform, with a flat-top haircut, and wrap-around shades.

Tony blinked. This was clearer than the rest. He had to investigate this man.

"JARVIS?" He called out.

"Yes sir?"

"I need you to identify all the soldiers pictured here in this photograph with Emily Zhang."

"Of course, sir." Facial recognition and imagery began to pop up and zoom.

"Lieutenant Mark Riley, Bombardier Nathaniel Darrow, Private Mathew Jacobs and Sergeant Mick Johnson."

Each time JARVIS said a name, their individual ID photographs and details popped up. "And the fifth guy," Tony began. "Who's he?"

"No identification, sir." JARVIS replied. "Whoever this man was, he wasn't a member of Captain Zhang's group."

Tony blinked. He was silent for a moment. "JARVIS, can you tell me which of Captain Zhang's teammates in this picture is still alive today, and where the nearest one lives?"

* * *

 _Toronto, Canada…_

The nearest surviving guy was Nathaniel Darrow, now a sergeant in Joint Task Force 2, the elite Special Operations division of the Canadian military. He lived in Toronto, but fortunately, Tony, Steve and Bruce (once he had alerted them) were able to go there overnight.

"So, what can I do for you, Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner?"

"Yes, we are here about one of your former teammates, a Captain Emily Zhang?"

Nathaniel Darrow stared. "Emily?" He said slowly. They nodded.

"Yeah, I remember Emily." He was silent for a while. "Great soldier, one of the best I'd ever seen. Amazing, outstanding. She would've been a member of JTF2, except that she died before that could happen." Then his eyes sharpened. "What about Emily?"

"Well, it's more about her son, Frank." Bruce tried to explain. Nathaniel's eyes widened.

"Frank?" He stared. "I remember the kid. Saw him at his mom's funeral." He shook his head. "Heard his grandma recently died. We have a support group for families, including kids who've lost parents in the Canadian military but he never came. Neither did his grandma, and I heard his whole house, and the lady…" He shook his head. "Horrible." He rasped. "Whatever happened to him? Frank? We tried searching for the guy."

The Avengers looked at one another and sighed. "Sergeant Darrow," Steve began. "There's no easy way to tell this but-"

"Captain Zhang was targeted by the same people who went after me in Afghanistan." Tony interrupted.

Nathaniel nodded. "Yeah, I remember. We were up against those guys too."

"Yeah but…" Tony sighed in frustration. "Look, this… This is classified information. We could get into serious trouble for this, but we feel it's necessary to inform you."

"We need your help." Steve interjected. "Captain Zhang's son- Frank- we think he may be in danger."

That set their new friend on alert. "Wait- what?"

Steve set the photo in front of him. "This is a picture of Captain Zhang and her team members, including you." He fingered the image of then-Bombardier Nathaniel Darrow there. "Can you explain you the fifth man in this picture was?"

Nathaniel stared blankly at the photograph. "There was no fifth guy. It was just Emily, Jack, Mick, Mark, Matt and me posing for this photo that day. I've never seen this guy before."

The Avengers exchanged covert, alarmed looks.

"Never?" Bruce asked cautiously. "No." He looked up at them. "There was no other guy posing in this photograph. This is the first time I've ever seen another guy. Here," he stood. "I have another copy."

Nathaniel Darrow opened a chest of drawers and took a heavy photo album out. He sat back down, flipping some pages as he did, before passing the album to the Avengers. "Here."

Sure enough, there was Captain Emily Zhang, smiling at the camera, right arm draped around Mick Johnson, whilst Private Mathew Jacobs knelt in front, weapon in front. Nathaniel Darrow had his left arm around Mick Johnson and Mark Riley was in front with Mick Johnson. There was no one else.

No man with a flat-top haircut and shades. Whilst Mick Johnson and Mark Riley both wore shades, they could not be mistaken for the mysterious fifth man.

"Are you sure that guy wasn't…" Nathaniel hesitated. "Photo-shopped?"

The Avengers stared at one another.

"No, we're certain he wasn't." Bruce looked pointedly at Tony.

"Definitely not. JARVIS could detect anything funny in the photo, like colouring, lighting and fix-ups." Tony stated. "Even with a damn good photo-shop he would've seen it."

"Sergeant, have you ever seen this man before?" Steve asked seriously.

Nathaniel shook his head. "Never."

"Not in Afghanistan? Or in your training? Or anywhere else in any tour of duty? Do you have an idea of who he may be?"

Nathaniel shook his head again. "No." Then he grew concerned. "What is this about Emily's son?"

"Frank?" Iron Man groaned. "He and some friends have been spotted all over the United States, Canada and Alaska, and some parts of Europe too."

"Please understand," Bruce interjected. "This is classified information."

"I understand. I'm in JTF2. We're sworn to secrecy."

"Okay then," Bruce showed him some pictures and began explaining. "Frank disappeared not long after his grandmother's funeral. He reappeared in San Francisco six weeks after."

"San Francisco?" Nathaniel sounded baffled. "Why in the world would he be in San Francisco?"

"No idea. But he was spotted with some friends, whom we will get to later." Bruce took out some more pictures. "This is him in Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon, around the Jimmy Carter Library. In this one, he's back at Vancouver, at his grandmother's mansion. This was before the neighbours called the police saying thugs and gangsters had circled the whole house and were threatening them with chainsaws, Molotov cocktails and other things, yelling death threats among other things." Bruce grimaced. "That was before the mansion exploded."

Nathaniel's eyes were wide, as he looked aghast. "Frank was there?" he choked.

"He escaped," Steve hastily reassured him. "In fact, he was seen in a nearby airspace with his two friends, and they made it to Anchorage. They were seen in various places in North America and Europe."

Bruce gave him a slightly-altered version of the events. No need to tell him the full details.

Nathaniel stared, horrified and aghast. Normally very few things would have shaken him, but Emily Zhang had been a good captain and team-mate who ensured the survival of just about everyone, and she had been a great mother who lived for her son. And now it turns out, the entire squadron had been walking into a trap designed specifically for Emily. And her son might be next.

"But why?" He asked hoarsely. "Why would they target Frank? Why would they target any kid- he's just a kid!"

"Someone is clearly after him and his friends," Steve admitted. "And we think it may have be the ones that went after Captain Zhang. They targeted her specifically."

"Sergeant Darrow," Bruce sat forwards. "Did Emily ever mention anything about the father of her son?"

Nathaniel shook his head. "Nothing. She didn't have a boyfriend at that time, though she had some admirers. She wasn't the type either to have one-night-stands, certainly not on tours of duty or training in the barracks. Serving was her whole life. So, it surprised us when she announced she was pregnant and going on maternity leave."

Bruce blinked. "So… What did her family say about that?"

Nathaniel Darrow sighed. "Yeah, we were kind of wondering that." He confessed. "We knew her family were traditional and conservative. I've been to her house in Vancouver, met her folks- this was before her father died. They were definitely traditional, I didn't know how being pregnant out of wedlock would affect her mother- she was the only one in the family apart from Emily still alive at that stage, but Mrs. Zhang didn't seem to take it too badly. That surprised us."

He looked serious. "If Emily's kid, or any of our families are in danger, I want in. The rest of us will want to as well. Emily Zhang was a great soldier who gave her life for her friends and her country, maybe this is the only way we'll get to pay her back now."

"Alright." Steve agreed. "We'll keep you updated. But for now…" He looked at the others. "We have some investigating to do."

"And speaking of which-" Bruce winced. "Perhaps we should tell you the other thing."

They told him about the fact that the Ten Rings might have had inside help. Nathaniel Darrow stood stock still, absorbing all this in silence. Nobody could describe the intense feelings and emotions running through him.

He promised the Avengers all the help they would need. And he would definitely be on the lookout for any suspicious behaviour, especially from those in command.

* * *

"So nothing on his dad." Tony sighed. "And nothing on the guy in the picture. Our next bet is to hunt down any member of the Ten Rings, see who was behind this, but those guys-" he scowled. "I prefer HYDRA. At least I know more about them."

Bruce and Steve couldn't help but agree. The Ten Rings was as dangerous as they were mysterious. The worst part about knowing so little about them, was not knowing how they operated and what their motives were. Why this person? Why Emily Zhang?

Even HYDRA had not been as elusive as that.

"So, what should we do?" Bruce asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Tony demanded. "We need to find out more."

"How?" Steve retorted. "You heard what Fury said. You yourself said these guys are about as mysterious as next year's weather."

"I never said that." Tony said abruptly. "And besides, you can always try to guess next year's weather: rain, sun, clouds and storms." Seeing Steve's unimpressed look, he conceded. "Alright. I have a hunch. All I need to do is go to Afghanistan."

"Afghanistan?" Bruce raised his eyebrows. "Tony-"

"I need to see one of them. "JARVIS?"

Right away, pieces of Iron Man's armour began assembling on Tony's body. He zoomed up to the sky. Down below Steve sighed.

"Never gets old, does it?" Bruce asked, looking up to where Tony had left.

"Nope."

* * *

 _Athens…_

Aglaia regarded the team in silence. Andrew had already gotten to them. Wow, no wonder Alex didn't look that enthusiastic. She could not help a smile, just this once.

Alex noticed her smile, and shook his head in fond exasperation. Everyone else would have missed the hint of a smile on his own face, but she did not. They always did know how to make each other smile, even after all this time, despite their ended romance.

"Something wrong?" Aglaia had sensed the presence of Philippos, her brother, right next to her.

"No, _Adelfós."_ She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Go and have fun. I'll be heading out soon. Why not enjoy this party?"

He gave her a mock scowl. "Only if my little sister agrees to dance with me."

"Better you than anyone else, though I think you need to work on your foot movements." She remarked teasingly. Philippos placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. They laughed and Aglaia threw a passing glance at Alex- a coded signal. Their meeting would have to wait.

Philippos led Aglaia to the dance floor and they began dancing.

This was family…

But she wondered what would happen to them if they ever found out.

* * *

Much to Alex's relief Andrew didn't stay long. He was getting on his nerves and Mizuki's. It was hard to tell what Eleana felt like, but he knew for sure that Drypetis would not be jumping for joy to see him (like she tended to do that anyway).

"Just so you know," he pointed it out. "She'll be joining us at the hotel soon enough. Had to, you know, distract people, satisfy the crowd, but did you get the message?"

"I got the message," Alex said, trying to keep the sourness from his voice.

"You're lucky she and I are with you in this."

"Not the most lovable idea I've ever heard in my life."

"But it may be the best mission you've ever done in your life." Andrew pointed.

Alex didn't bother to answer Andrew. He pointedly ignored him until they reached the hotel once more. Andrew sauntered in, smiling breezily, "Aglaia."

Aglaia turned. She was in a simpler dress than the one she had worn to the ball.

"I had thought to meet with you there, send some signals," Aglaia admitted. "But as it turns out, there are other matters I must discuss with you as well."

Alex's eyebrows shot up. "Meaning?"

"Meaning you are in for an unpleasant surprise." Alex looked at Andrew. "Wonderful."

"Andrew," Aglaia sighed. "Please be a dear and give us some time to chat. It looks like they'll all need it."

"Of course." Andrew smirked, backing out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Satisfied."

"Almost." Alex narrowed his eyes. Mizuki sighed. "Why did you bring him here?"

"Do you deny that his skills would not be useful?"

"Unbelievable." Alex muttered. "Normally I have a high tolerance level but this…"

"Relax, I can always ask him to avoid you when the time comes." Aglaia answered smoothly. She glided forwards and extended her hand. "Welcome to Athens. My name is Aglaia."

Percy took it. "Percy." He looked at the others. "This is Jason, Leo and Calypso."

"Nice to meet you," Jason muttered. "A pleasure." That was Calypso. "'Sup?" Leo asked.

"I wish we could meet in better times, but-" she gestured with a hand towards the sofas and armchairs in the suite. "Please take a seat." Once they had seated, Percy noticed Aglaia's eyes had been scrutinising them the whole time before being fixed on Alex.

"When I received word, I couldn't believe it." She admitted. "You? Of all people, Alex? What made you change your mind? When did you start to trust so quickly?"

"It's not a matter of trust, but mutual self-interest." Alex explained. "Because of whom? Them or S.H.I.E.L.D?" She handed cups of _Fliskouni_ tea to each of them.

"Both." He looked at Mizuki and Eleana who were sitting silently, observing the conversation. "So, who are you proposing we work for, then?" Aglaia rolled her lovely eyes. They were the deepest, brightest and clearest shade of emerald green, but full of so many colours, like gems in a jewellery box.

"I'm not proposing we work for anyone." Alex replied. "You know me. But I am proposing we work _with_ them." He gestured to the campers.

Aglaia peered at them from above her teacup. "You're a long way from Long Island." She said, dryly.

Percy and Jason sighed. They _really_ had to get used to that. "How the heck do you guys keep guessing these things?" Percy stifled a groan.

"I observe and listen." She put down her cup. "Half-Greek judging by your features." She smirked. "New York- the Big Apple. Caucasian mostly." She glanced at Jason. "American. Californian? Most likely, but I'd say you grew up in San Francisco. Did you relocate to New York?"

Jason shrugged, helplessly. "Yeah, that's about it."

"Hm. Houston, Texas." She looked at Leo. "But the most obvious thing is your Mexican heritage." She then glanced at Calypso. "I don't know where you're from, but it's clearly quite a peaceful island. Most likely beautiful, undisturbed and untouched by the ravages of the industrial revolution. Wait, did you say your name was Calypso?"

"Yes," Calypso studied her carefully. "My name is Calypso."

Slowly, Aglaia turned her head towards Alex, Mizuki and Eleana. "You have some explaining to do."

It didn't take long for the story to come out.

Aglaia had stood frozen all this time, and she didn't look pleased in the very least. Given how Mizuki, Eleana and Drypetis reacted, they knew she wouldn't be pleased either. Heck, given how _Alex_ reacted…

Aglaia placed her teacup down on the table.

"Truly?" She asked in a deadly-quiet voice. "S.H.I.E.L.D? Olympian gods? Asgard?"

Alex was silent.

"Our parents are dead." She reminded him.

"Not as we thought." He spoke softly.

She glanced at the campers. "And you? Where do you come into this? You want us to work for-"

"No," Percy said hastily. "No- I promise, that's _not_ it."

"How can you expect us to cooperate, if there is no trust between us?" Her authority mode had come out, Alex observed, with the mildest amusement (Andrew's absence really worked miracles for him). Her emerald eyes pierced them dead-on. "Our parents? I was under the impression my biological parents died long ago."

"Well, I was under the impression my stepfather was my father," Mizuki remarked coolly. "Until after some bizarre rites he tried to _kill_ me. Then I realised I wasn't really his child, I was the child of another being- one whom he did not believe was an ordinary human." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And as it turns out he was right.

"I assume it's all the same." She nearly snarled. "But clearly I must remind you that deception is not the best way to cooperate with anything- including survival." Aglaia told them.

Alex gritted his teeth to keep himself from cursing. "Do you think," he began. "That I don't feel the same way."

"Which makes it hard to believe, why should we trust them?" Aglaia asked. "Not you," she looked at the campers. "But them."

She meant the gods, you didn't have to be a genius to know that.

But for some reason, Aglaia wasn't as hostile to the idea of their parents as the others. Or maybe they hadn't talked to Andrew just yet.

Alex looked sourly at the demigods. "After you've made it clear last time you can handle the conversation, perhaps you would care to convince her? My temper is already under damage control from meeting Andrew." Though admittedly, he felt more soothed and relaxed now that he had been talking with Aglaia _without_ having Andrew in the same room. He shook his head and downed the remainder of his tea.

Aglaia tilted her head up. "The Greek gods exist… And one of my supposedly-dead biological parents happen to be one of them. And now some of our half-siblings, cousins and so forth need our help, because of S.H.I.E.L.D or our enemy." She looked at Alex. "Doesn't sound very appealing for anyone to want help. How did you convince him?"

"They didn't. I basically had no choice." Alex stared her down. "Like I said-"

"It's mutual self-interest." Percy insisted. "And self-preservation."

"Self-interest and self-preservation, but no trust and no assurances of any kind." Aglaia murmured thoughtfully. "Sounds like half the deal and a heavy price. Armies have failed disastrously with a lack of trust. Goals have never been reached and rulers have failed, no matter their power or their efficiency, for eliminating anyone they didn't trust- paranoia goes with power." She shook her head. "Once you possess everything, and have everything to lose, you are willing to commit every action, no matter how abominable, no matter how atrocious and monstrous, to keep what you have."

No one would meet her eyes. "We cannot cooperate without trust- nor assurances." She glanced at Alex. "I understand your reasons for not wishing to meet them face to face, especially after what has been done which they allowed, but we need assurances." She put down her teacup.

Aglaia mulled over it for a while. "What are you planning?" Mizuki asked.

"Funny you should ask." Aglaia stated.

"Oh Mizuki." Eleana said dryly. "I think she has a good plan, we all know her."

"Where is Drypetis? The three of you are usually tied at the hip."

"At the controls." Eleana smirked. "You know her."

"I do," Aglaia confirmed. She stood and went over to the window. She was wearing a gown of sea-green simpler than expected, but with golden detailing and an emerald choker around her neck.

"I don't like this. But if we can negotiate our terms… Namely them leaving us in peace once all this mess is over and done with- then yes." She turned towards them. "I will help. And Andrew has already decided to go."

"And here I thought he was smart." Alex drawled. "You know how he is, which is precisely why he has decided to come." Aglaia barely looked at him before she picked something up. "Now follow me. It's high time we leave." Her tone allowed room for no arguments.

They shot to their feet. "S.H.I.E.L.D?" Percy asked. "Is it them?"

"Perhaps… Or perhaps someone worse." Aglaia pressed herself against the wall.

"Come now," she said, grimly. "We have no time."

* * *

The commander stared out the window.

It was done. Aglaia was going with them. Now, they would have to monitor their calls very carefully.

Soon, their armies would commence. They would attack for vengeance and justice against those who wronged them.

He would miss Aglaia. He knew that Percy had dove into the depths of Tartarus for his love, but he felt that would do the same. He would go every length to make sure she would return to him.

But that was the most amazing thing. Unlike his other two loves, which he had experienced in his mortal life, Aglaia was incredible- even by his standards. He couldn't help but smirk. Again, the commander regretted that she had not been born a few millennia earlier- she would have conquered the world by his side and become a goddess in her own right.

 _I have a new mission,_ he thought. "Commander?"

He turned.

A young, dark-haired young man stood alert.

"Leon." He spoke. "Has the Agèma convened? Are we ready to intercede?"

"Yes, sir." He said. "They are awaiting your orders to take off."

"Excellent." He nodded. "I will be along shortly. And send a message to Drypêtis, saying we wish to know whether the devices are ready."

"Yes sir."

Leon nodded and walked away.

Soon, he promised. Very soon, they would take their justice and their revenge.

* * *

"When did _they_ get here?" Alex snarled with such venom it startled everyone, including the three girls they'd met in Tokyo.

Andrew burst into the room. "Not S.H.I.E.L.D." He informed them.

"Well then, I know who it may be," Aglaia shot them a look. "How far away is Drypetis?"

"She's in that hotel." Eleana had shot to her feet. "Where are the weapons?"

"Here." Andrew held three bags. "I packed what I could."

"Then let's go for the fire-exit." Aglaia replied.

"That's the first place they usually look!" Percy argued. Alex agreed.

"We have no choice." Aglaia stated. "They've surrounded the whole building." Andrew gritted his teeth.

"Who are these guys?" Percy demanded.

"The ones that took us years ago."

Percy, Jason, Leo and Calypso froze. So did Eleana, Mizuki and Drypetis. Alex's eyes narrowed dangerously. _"WHAT?!"_ That was the four campers.

"How do you know this?" Alex said in a dangerously low voice. "That's not something I'd want to stick around and discuss." Aglaia shot back. "We move- now!"

They burst out of the room.

They made it out of the room and into a hallway unfortunately before they even managed to reach the fire exit, alarms started blaring.

"That's odd." Aglaia said in surprise. "They're usually more subtle than this."

Alex scowled. "I'd like very much to know how you knew that."

"If we live." Percy said grimly.

"I'd sooner die than go back to them." Eleana snarled with surprising ferocity.

"Same." Aglaia muttered. "And I don't even want that."

"Let's talk later!" Percy ran forwards. "Where's the nearest exit-"

But before he could finish his sentence, some of the guests started screaming. Explosions could be heard from inside the ballroom, and Aglaia yanked Percy and Jason (the two at the front) and swivelled them to another direction entirely. "Follow me and stay behind!" She shouted.

"Where's Mizuki?" Calypso yelled.

"She's gone off- we'll see her soon!"

"What?" Leo yelped. "Where are we-"

A crash and a huge roar resounded which basically told them things were going to get tougher. The screams of mortals as they were devoured did not make things any easier for them.

Yup, things were nuts.

* * *

In the ballroom, guests were screaming as window-glass shattered into pieces and rained down upon them. But to nearly everyone's surprise, what attacked them was…

"Hydra?" Percy gasped. As in a many-headed monster, which he last saw wearing Monster Donut bibs. This one was clearly _not_ a baby and this one was clearly not out on a random trip to the woods with donuts. It was _eight_ times as large as the last hydra Percy fought. Its beady glowing red eyes, at least seven pairs of them, zeroed in on the eight of them, and it hissed, revealed razor-sharp teeth, long as daggers.

" _Skata,"_ Aglaia muttered, which was basically a swearword in Greek. That was surprising. But they had no time to react. They scattered, diving aside.

The monster had spat greenish acidic venom which quickly melted the marble floors. Unfortunately, it began to terrorise the visitors. One of the heads tore down a crystal chandelier from the ceiling, smashing it onto the floor, raining hot sparks of electricity, crystals, and bits of metal onto the screaming guests, many of whom were no doubt running as fast as they could.

Percy cursed as he got to his feet. He uncapped Riptide. He could see Aglaia shouting something to Andrew, but Andrew's reply was drowned out by the noise.

"Leo, we need fire!" Percy shouted at Leo. Leo looked at him wide-eyed. "Huh?!"

"Fire- burn the stumps- we need to cut off the heads all at once and burn-" but before he could finish his sentence, two of the heads shot poison at him.

Percy ducked and rolled aside.

Meanwhile, Alex picked up several glasses. He was sure they were costly, but now was not the time. He chucked them.

The wind whistled as they sailed smoothly into the air. One head snapped up the glass, crashing it with his teeth, but for someone who didn't play baseball- that being American sport- Alex launched as many glasses as he could.

It simply annoyed the hydra, but Aglaia caught on the idea. As did Eleana. Percy felt a hand grab him and he came face to face with grey eyes.

Annabeth's eyes, he thought, dazed, before he managed to focus.

"Percy!" Andrew hissed. "The others are going to distract and overwhelm the heads- we need to sneak to the side and cut them off- can you do that?"

Percy nodded. "If you can distract them with water, do that," Andrew stated. "There are pipes in this building. But make sure you dry them when Leo sets them on fire."

Eleana also had a remarkable aim. She, Calypso and Aglaia had teamed up and were chucking as many glasses as they could possibly throw. For some reason, wind had started blowing in this place, maybe due to the broken windows, but it didn't hinder the glasses in any way. In fact, it seemed only to be aiding them.

But there were only so many glasses. Percy dove to the side.

Unfortunately, this brought the attention of the monster which narrowed its eyes towards him and started shooting him with poison.

The poison missed Percy by millimetres, it blasted a nearby table laid with a linen tablecloth and set with porcelain. A lady screamed as her elaborate hairdo (more suited to be cotton candy or sugar floss strung with jewels than human hair), began to melt. She batted it frantically, knocking her hair to the ground and revealing it to be a wig on a balding scalp.

At this point, Jason flew into the air and launched himself on one of the monster's necks.

Alex swore in Irish. Jason realised, as brave as this was, it had been a mistake. A big, stupid mistake. With any other monster, it would have weighed them down, seriously messed with its coordination, but this was a monster with seven heads and could grow two more if one of them were to be cut down. Plus, it was larger and much stronger than most of the stuff they faced on a regular basis.

Jason reacted the way he could: he zapped them with lightning. The monster heads hissed and retreated but began snapping towards him, more annoyed than anything. Jason had no choice. He withdrew his gladius and sliced off the nearest head. The others drew back once more, hissing. People recoiled and screamed once the head rolled onto the floor, twitching and oozing.

"What the hell?!" Eleana shouted angrily.

The stump, now tinged with green, began to bubble and morph, sprouting and elongating, growing two more heads on long stalk-like necks.

"Damn it!" Alex cursed as he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding an ancient statue that was put on display, as the stone crashed into rubble, crushing anything beneath it.

He ran fast, jumped and used a table as a springboard, launching and grabbing Jason who was still on the head, dragging him to the ground. The hydra snarled, its attention captured by them as it spat poison. Alex pushed Jason aside.

"That was _not_ your smartest idea," Alex muttered. Jason cursed. "I know."

Unfortunately, the hydra had made it its new mission to go for Jason and Alex. Alex had knocked- accidentally or on purpose, no one knew- one of its other heads aside and it decided to go for the two blue-eyed blond boys.

Several of its heads snapped forwards, taking chunks of marble tiles, smashing buffet tables aside with its claws, and spitting massive gobs of green poison at them. The guests were in pandemonium. They retreated, but then a voice called: "Hey!"

It froze and turned.

Percy Jackson waved Riptide teasingly in the air. "C'mon, you great lump of-" but before he could finish his insult, the hydra spat poison in his direction, forcing him to take cover. But a pipe burst.

Water sprayed from the wall, the guests shrieking with shock as it sprayed them. It rose like a tidal wave, forcing the creature to back away.

Then from the doors, several soldiers appeared. They might have been the Greek version of SWAT, or the elite special operations unit, Percy didn't know. The hydra took one look at them, hissed, and prepared to strike.

The mortals unleashed a hail of bullets towards them. It screeched in rage, and snapped up one mortal in a gulp. Percy could see Aglaia, her beautiful face pale, her eyes wide with horror. Before she shouted in fury, picking up a fallen chair and throwing it, with surprising strength, knocking two of the heads.

"Hey! Over here you scumbag worm!" She shouted. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?!"

"Are you _mad?!"_ She heard Philippos shout. Aglaia ignored him. She was too mad to care. She withdrew two knives rolled to the side as several heads spat poison, rolled back as two of the heads snapped at her, and a third tried to get her from the side. She stabbed it in the eye. It screamed, rearing back and hissing. Aglaia took this opportunity to throw shards of glass and crystal at it.

"Leo- now!" Percy shouted.

Just then Leo's whole body lit up in flames. "Yeah, baby!" He grinned, maniacally, causing more screams from the mortals. "It's time to light 'em up!"

Percy launched through the air, the same time Andrew skidded on the ground if only slightly lower. He grabbed half of the heads. Alex took advantage of this, and grabbed the other half, keeping them still as Percy sliced them with Riptide. Any heads that were accidentally missed, they hacked at, chopping them to the ground.

Leo launched his flames and burnt the stumps. A terrible sound filled the room, as the body fell to the ground, coiling, twitching, clawing at the marble, before the fire spread- apparently it was flammable- and engulfed every bit of it.

"We need to go!" Aglaia hissed. She grabbed Eleana and Calypso, shouting at Leo and the others to come on. Alex grabbed Jason by the shoulder and Andrew gestured to Leo and they took off running.

* * *

"They would have seen _everything,"_ Aglaia cursed, apparently very upset. "There are cameras all over the palace." They rushed up the stairs. Bursting to a door, the demigods and sorceress found themselves on the roof. "Stupid, damned hydra!"

Just then, wind blew in torrents, and the chopping of blades filled the air. They looked up to see a helicopter descend. "Right on time!" Drypetis yelled, from the seat. Mizuki was right next to her, on the controls. "We have to get going!" They immediately boarded. The helicopter flew away.

"Where'd you even get a helicopter?" Percy asked, incredulously. Normally, he didn't like to be up in the air, unless with Blackjack.

"I told them where to get it," Aglaia shouted over the noise of the blades.

The city of Athens shrunk behind them.

"Drypetis had the sense to go back to the ship and put some distance between us," Mizuki shouted. "It was hard to find her though- there were some guys in black crowding in on us in the streets they were trying to stop me from reaching Drypetis!"

"Are you sure those aren't the mortals?" Percy said loudly.

"Positive," Mizuki called back.

"But this doesn't make sense," Andrew grumbled. "This isn't like them, they're usually more subtle and less clumsy than this."

"The hydra _was_ a diversion," Aglaia pointed out. "But a very obvious, mythological creature?" Eleana sounded very surprised. "They've always worked in the shadows-"

"Framing others for their dirty works," Aglaia scoffed.

"Wait," Alex's voice was dangerous. "We'll talk about this later."

"Wait- hold up!" Percy held up a hand and sat up. "Wait a second- you guys- you've know who sent that hydra?"

"Percy," Calypso said. "I don't know much about hydras, but I'm pretty sure those are larger than the ones you've encountered."

Percy absorbed this in silence and shock.

"It's _them,"_ Alex spat. "We need to get back to the ship."

* * *

 _Back in the United States…_

The Greeks and Romans agreed to meet on neutral territory.

"Are you sure they'll be here by tonight?" Reyna asked.

Piper nodded. "That's what their Iris-Message said," Annabeth pointed out.

Reyna frowned. "These new demigods… Are they Roman or Greek?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Well, Alex really hasn't been claimed so…"

Reyna only frowned further, "I don't mean to doubt anyone," she said quietly. "But how do we know we can trust them?"

"Alex saved our lives," Piper said firmly. "He's also gotten us back to the US, at his own expense, literally and figuratively, and all the while, he's supposed to be on duty. Besides, he's the soldier. He seems-"

"The soldier-type," Annabeth said dryly.

"Yeah." Piper agreed. "As for the others-"

Just then a huge shadow descended upon them. Romans and Greeks alike, jumped up in defensive positions, but it was only huge, flying Greek trireme.

"'Sup amigos?" Leo cheered. "We're back!"

* * *

On the way, the crew had gotten a first-hand glimpse of the prickly relationship between Andrew and Alex.

"Really, Alex?" Andrew asked. "I always thought you were one of the most brilliant strategists and soldiers in _any_ army. Then I see you flying at a hydra- a real-live hydra- and causing it to go crazy and fly at you."

"It wasn't as if I had a choice," Alex fired back. "What would you have done?"

"Fire more stuff at them, overwhelm the heads all at once, hard and fast," Andrew began. "Then-"

"Hey!" Jason stood. "He did it for me. I was the guy who needed saving. If there's anyone you want to blame, blame me."

"Sure, blame the idiot," Andrew drawled. "And here I was under the assumption that you were rather experienced at this sort of thing."

"Enough!" Alex shouted. "He's not like us, it was an 'in-the-bloody-moment thing'! He was desperate to save his friends."

"So was I, yet I never threw myself at a hydra- particularly at the heads."

"Will you quit it?" Aglaia's voice betrayed her impatience. A sure sign they were overdoing it. "Leave it be, Andrew. That was a mistake."

Andrew was silent, but his grey eyes blazed dangerously.

 _I've seen that look before,_ Jason thought. _But where?_

Before the answer could hit him, Andrew retorted. "We can afford no mistakes in this line of work. The next mistake we make, will cost us not only our lives, but the lives of others who depend on us." He stepped forwards breathing deeply. It was quite obvious, that in spite of his tanned skin, he resembled a classical marble statue with perfectly-proportioned chin as well as the rest of his features; straight, thin, high nose, elegantly-arched eyebrows, fine lips with a small mouth. Despite the features being masculine in appearance, and the hair being shorter, he looked like-

" _Land, ho!"_ That was Leo's cheerful voice. Alex and Andrew gave flinty gazes at one another, before the ship touched to the ground.

* * *

When they disembarked, it was quite clear that the Romans and Greeks had all gathered, curious to see the new arrivals. No doubt that word had spread fast, even to the ones that hadn't been there for the meeting and the oath.

Alex was none too pleased. The campers greeted old friends and family, he and Andrew shot looks at one another. Aglaia emerged, wearing a mask- a golden mask. It seemed cast out of molten gold. But the weirdest thing was it moulded perfectly with her features- and at the same time obstructed them. The mask's lips moved with her own, the nose did and the eyebrows which were nothing more than painted lines, but it did a great job concealing her face.

"Erm, what's with the mask?" Leo asked.

"I'd rather not have any distractions, you've all seen my face," she said evenly.

Percy walked up and greeted Annabeth, Piper, Hazel and Reyna with hugs. Frank clapped him on the back. Everyone crowded around him.

"Where's Chiron?" He asked.

"He got held up," Connor Stoll walked forwards. He eyed the party with interest. Many of them peered curiously at the new arrivals.

"Is that it?" Sherman Yang said, loudly.

"Trying to insult us before we've even spoken?" Andrew smirked. Normally Alex wouldn't have any patience for this, but for once Andrew's sharp wit could knock this upstart down to scale.

"Why? Have you got something to prove?" His grey eyes twinkled mischievously as he looked at the son of Ares up and down, and a grin spread throughout his handsome face.

Sherman coloured. He opened his mouth, but Miranda Gardiner- his girlfriend- held him back. "C'mon, Sherman, we've talked about this."

"Yes, Sherman, listen to the nice lady," Andrew smirked. "Don't ask for something before you even know what it is you're going to get."

Everyone eyed them with interest.

"Why don't you say that to yourself, punk?" Sherman snapped.

Andrew laughed. He actually laughed. "Boy, I _know_ what _you're_ planning for me: a beat-up. A bashing, plain and simple. Or do you want to try and dunk my head in the toilet, like a good, old-fashioned, schoolboy? Get your buddies to come and try to beat the living s*** out of me, once you have the opportunity; a sneak attack? Crowd around me, four, five, six even eight against one? Or your entire Cabin against _one?"_ His grin only widened. "But don't let me discourage you. Honestly, it will be quite funny if you want to dunk _my_ head in the toilet." His grin widened maniacally. "It will be extremely amusing to see you try and watch what happens to you. In fact, you can even bring all your buddies _and_ your girlfriend to come and watch. So, shall we?"

Before Sherman Yang could bellow some insults, death threats or anything else, a voice spoke.

" _Enough."_ Aglaia said sternly, rolling her eyes.

Andrew sighed. "And here I was prepared to laugh myself to knots. Since when were you such a party-pooper?"

"When there's no time for a party." Her eyes narrowed. "Or small-scale conflicts, no matter how _historic."_ She said dangerously. Aglaia looked from him to Sherman Yang held back by Miranda. "Now is neither the time nor place for such stupid, unnecessary things. You of all people know that," she insisted, looking at Andrew. "We _all_ have to face the facts." She turned her gaze to Sherman. "You might not like it but there's a bigger war to fight." She looked at Miranda. "I'm sorry for this."

"No, _I_ am." The daughter of Demeter looked shame-faced. "You shouldn't have had to apologise." She glared at Sherman.

"No, it's necessary to bend your pride at times, particularly in cases of survival." She stated.

"I agree." Mizuki sounded grim. "Though it's never wise to let your guard down." She cast a sour look around the place.

"Um, hi," Annabeth said, awkwardly. "I'm Annabeth- Annabeth Chase." She reached out to shake Aglaia's hand.

"Piper McLean." Piper did the same.

"Reyna," Reyna spoke. "Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. Praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata."

"Aglaia." Aglaia said politely. "You've already met Alex, that over there is Andrew." She said with a sigh, gesturing to him. "And these are Mizuki, Eleana and Drypêtis."

The respective demigods nodded politely. "And to answer your friend Sherman's question, I am afraid it was all we could do for now. We received Alex's signal, but none of us could move all at once without attracting attention from our enemies."

Annabeth eyed her curiously. "Well, first off, who are your enemies? And if you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing a mask?"

Aglaia's shifting green eyes lowered. "It's best if I keep my face covered," she said quietly. "I've found that out a while ago."

"You didn't cover your face when we first met," Percy said, astonished.

"Nevertheless, it's better to take precautions, I'll explain later," she assured him.

"As for our enemies…" She looked back at the others.

Piper said quietly. "They're the ones who took you when you were kids, right?"

Silence. It was as if they'd frozen into ice.

"Yes," Alex was the first to break that silence. "Those ones." He turned his narrowed eyes towards Aglaia. "Which reminds me, how did you know those were our enemies back there? As being the ones who sent the hydra?"

"What?" More than one person explained.

Aglaia shook her head. "Perhaps it's best if we sit down to conduct this conversation."

Reyna gestured to a covered pavilion with a tent. Her two metallic dogs, Aurum and Argentum followed. If the newcomers thought this was interesting, they didn't show it. Cabin counsellors from Camp Half-Blood and members of the Senate from New Rome sat.

"We were attacked by a hydra," Alex spoke first, once they'd sat. "In Athens."

"What were you doing in Athens?" Annabeth and Piper gaped.

"Picking me up," Aglaia stated. "I'm Greek, born and raised."

"Oh." They both flushed with embarrassment.

"Andrew was with me as well."

"Yes," Alex cast a mildly distasteful look to Andrew who raised an eyebrow, dryly.

"There's the other thing," Alex said, his voice dangerously calm. "I did not know he would be coming."

"I _do_ have a phone, you know," Andrew smirked. He took it out of his pocket and brandished it. "I got the signal. You signalled every survivor who has one. "

"And as such, knowing that the signal came from _you,_ he decided to go to _me,"_ Aglaia explained. "Considering that you would have hated to even consider him and gone to him last."

"Yes, well, I could hardly miss out on the fun now, could I?"

Alex gave a long-suffering, but annoyed look.

"Andrew is one of the most brilliant minds any of us have ever met," Aglaia said quietly. "A great mastermind at many things."

"Including, but certainly not limited to, battle strategy, sciences such as physics, biology, chemistry, archaeology, optics and magnets, zoology, botany, geometry and trigonometry, criminology, architecture, classical history, deciphering dead languages and more." Andrew shrugged.

They stared at him. "Wait a second," Annabeth paused. "Are you-"

"An Oxford professor," he smirked. "Not the tweed-wearing kind. And I don't smell of coffee, thank you very much." He sounded British, Annabeth had thought.

But he also seemed somewhat familiar.

"You seemed to pick Mizuki, Drypetis and Eleana quickly enough," Aglaia pointed out.

"We were in Japan anyway," Mizuki sighed. She turned to look at the others. "Now that Andrew has given you a list of some of his accomplishments and what he would bring to all this, I should also say my part. I am a Miko- a Shinto priestess, and that's where he found me, at the temple." She cast a look at Alex.

"I was being quite respectful," Alex said, point-blanc. "Point taken." Eleana muttered.

"I also do… Covert activities as the priestess," Mizuki confessed. "Nowadays, Miko priestesses normally perform temple cleansing rituals and sacred dances, they clean the shrines and assist in ceremonies like weddings, bless homes… Those type of things you would expect from us. But in days gone by, we were shamans. Exorcists, oracles who communicate with the _Kami-_ the gods, to see the future and expel demons. And I still do fortune-telling. But the most serious things, such as determining auspices, communicating with gods and spirits, expelling demons et cetera… Things no Miko would ever dare to do nowadays, in case we attract unwanted attention, particularly from ordinary people and the priests. I still follow the old ways." She sighed. "Many manga and anime depict us as having mystical powers." She shook her head smiling. "And I must admit, in my case to an extent… This is true."

Everyone looked shocked and started whispering excitedly, even fearfully.

"I am also a poet and an author," Mizuki said slowly. "Several of her works have been published and have attracted great notice in Japan." Aglaia said quietly. "And I can play musical instruments quite nicely, as well as some rudiments of traditional medicine, Chinese and Japanese."

Annabeth looked at Will Solace. They were all wondering the same thing.

"But medicine is normally _my_ thing," Eleana said. "I've been trained as a medic, GP, surgeon… You name it. But I've also played for orchestras- and now I've sung."

Everyone stared. "Wait." Will blurted. He stood. "You're Eleana."

"I thought she made that clear for you."

"No- you- your album-"

And there it was- mostly everyone had been too distracted otherwise to notice. But now…

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Someone from the Aphrodite Cabin squealed loudly. "You- you-"

Someone gave a scream. And not a scream of terror, but the scream of something much worse than being confronted by a monster. The scream of a fangirl.

"And here it is," Eleana sighed. As everyone went crazy.

" _Omigosh, omigosh!"_

"Can I have your autograph?"

"I can't believe this is happening!"

"THIS IS SO AWESOME- AMAZING!"

"I tried to buy tickets to your concert in L.A- they were sold out!" Piper had seen this before, when she admitted that her dad was Tristan McLean.

"Okay, enough." Annabeth ordered, sternly. "Anything else?"

"A number of things," Eleana admitted. She looked at Drypetis.

"Mechanic, inventor-" she pointed to Andrew's phone in front of him. "That for instance. My invention entirely."

"Cool!" Leo whooped. "Awesome- mind showing us how you did that? I've been wondering how-"

"Leo," Piper interrupted. She shook her head. "Not the time."

"Right, sorry." But he didn't look very sorry. Everyone turned to Aglaia.

"And you?"

"I do a number of things," she admitted. "First off, I'm multilingual. As I've mentioned, I'm Greek, so I'm a native speaker in all the dialects and the standardised modern language. I also speak Classical Ancient Greek- including the various dialects as well. Mycenaean and Cretan too. All this in addition to reading, writing and speaking a number of languages dead or alive, and I'm quite well-versed in mythology and theology from various places. I had a Danish grandmother, so I learnt the Viking sagas and myths, as well as the Olympian ones." She gave a brief smile- or rather, the mask did. It was so expressive, that it was hard to remember it was a mask, even if it was gold.

"I can also fight- but I suppose we can say the same for them," she looked at the others. "And I'm quite well-practiced at hairstyling, makeup and dressmaking- more than once I've made my own outfits, and numerous family members, often in short notice."

Piper blinked. "Well," she muttered. "My cabin-mates might be happy for that."

"I'm glad to hear that." Aglaia smiled and chuckled softly. Piper blinked, then smiled. She had a surprisingly beautiful laugh, even if it wasn't much of a laugh.

"I'm also practiced in numerous other things, I've graced social circles for quite some time, with and without my mask, and I know how to influence people."

"Wait, did you just say with your mask?" Annabeth asked, incredulously.

"Yes, this isn't an ordinary mask." Aglaia touched something hidden beneath her chin. Instantly something amazing happened. Some film of a sort covered the eyeholes, it looked like a computer-generated image of pixels just before they burst into life. The mask's structure began to shift and change. The colour paled and turned white- like Caucasian skin. The film over the eyes seemed to sizzle with pixels before they cleared, revealing pale blue eyes, and long, sandy-coloured lashes having been grown above and beneath. The nose was slim but longer, her mouth larger. Her face oval and fresh, blond hair sprung in curls from the hairline of the mask and covered her black hair.

For a while everyone just stared.

"Whoa," Leo was the first to breathe.

"How did you do that?" The Stoll brothers demanded, they looked impressed.

"This mask was made by Drypetis and someone else," Aglaia stated. "Under my request. It answers only to me." Aglaia's voice had also changed. Becoming more… Husky, they assumed. "But the voice I'm able to change. I can also do makeovers quite well- I _am_ a stylist- for anyone who doesn't have a mask." She nodded.

"Oh," Annabeth managed. "That's… Neat."

Aglaia nodded. "More on that later. I assume you wish to know about our enemies."

"Yes," Reyna spoke.

"Perhaps I should begin." Aglaia suggested. "Firstly, we had no idea who our enemies are. They were clever. They weren't like HYDRA or the Ten Rings- those are terrorist groups," she said quickly, when some looked confused. "No, they were brilliant. In fact, they can't even be considered terrorists. Terrorists wish to make a _statement;_ that's the reason they kill so publicly, make explosions and so forth. They want to send a message. These people are out for something more.

"In Athens, I was told that we were demigods. In hindsight, we shouldn't be that surprised considering that _two_ Norse gods popped into reality right in the middle of New York. Still… The news is not… Always pleasant. Especially as these are the words of a maniac."

"I did say that they told me we were the children of gods," Alex said suddenly. "Not that I believed them. How could someone say _that_ about _us?"_ He shook his head.

"Furthermore," as Aglaia continued, her mask shifted back to gold and the blond hair receded. The film over her eyes lifted revealing the truly astonishing green colour, as iridescent and with as many colours as gems. "And this is the serious bit: make no mistake, they were enemies. And they still are. We didn't just survive." She looked at the others.

"We escaped." Mizuki stated. "And they are brilliant. If they're still kidnapping children they would have learnt not to repeat the same mistakes."

"They're like learning robots," Drypetis said calmly. Her hands were tinkering, they noticed. She had several metal bits she was fixing with a wrench and screws. "They were smart enough to stay hidden from just about everyone. Smart enough to take kids without anyone finding out who did them. Or even connecting the dots from across continents."

"And even if they did look for us, which in my case, was non-existent," Alex said. "There was no one to look for me at home, but Aglaia and Drypetis…" He glanced at them. "People searched for them. And no one ever found them."

"Worse," Eleana said. "When I was taken I was captured by another organisation. HYDRA." She looked grim.

Everyone looked around. "You mean the ones you mentioned?" Hazel choked. "As in the terrorist organisation?" Frank stared.

"The same ones." That was Alex. Eleana nodded. "I spent years believing it was HYDRA who took me and kept me. It appears I was wrong."

"They use HYDRA for their own purposes," Aglaia explained. "And the Ten Rings." Alex narrowed his eyes at her, but she continued. "I don't know who else is in their pocket, but they're infiltrators. And suppliers. They're immensely wealthy, I don't know how yet. But they are. But wealthy enough to keep those terrorist organisations- and governments- in line."

They stared. "Wait," Alex began dangerously. "What?"

"Never underestimate the power of greed," Aglaia's real voice was high and clear- but not painfully high. "And even governments can be infiltrated. How much do you trust the American Senate? The White House? Or the Kremlin? Or anywhere else? Did you know they've been infiltrated?"

Shocked, aghast and frantic whispers were everywhere. "Possibly S.H.I.E.L.D," Aglaia conceded. "Though we can't be sure. And militaries worldwide. All I know is that they're _everywhere._ And that HYDRA and the Ten Rings think that all their members are loyal only to them. They're wrong. They've been supplying soldiers, scientists, labourers and spectacular new inventions; like weapons and diabolical products of all kinds, to do their dirty work for them. HYDRA and the others believe that these guys are here on their best interests. They train their troops 'exclusively'; teach them to be loyal to them; give them scientists and lab rats; and everything from basic foodstuffs, medicine, biological and chemical warfare, weaponry and even weapons of mass destruction if our theories are correct. More than half of HYDRA's agents owe everything to them. And some- if not all- are likely to be still working for them as double agents- or even triple agents, who knows? And these guys go along with it, because all they ever ask of them are cooperation and cover." She leaned forwards.

"No one knows they exist. HYDRA may claim responsibility for various things. But not them. Even members of the CIA and various intelligence agencies are covering for them. Corrupt governments too. In return, they supply them with kids- demigods, I suppose, can be counted among them. Like us." She looked at her friends. "Or if they don't provide them, they simply look the other way."

Everyone looked aghast and horrified. Many faces were sickened and pale. Others looked terrified.

Aglaia sighed. "It was while before I found anyone linked to them. And not even all of HYDRA knows their names." She shook her head.

"They're called the Nekrikí Agóna." Aglaia paused.

Everyone and everything was silent. It was as if ice had filled them all from head to toe.

"How the hell do you know about this?" Alex narrowed his eyes.

"I've been waltzing my way into the heights of society for years, Alex." She said calmly. "It took me years. Saying that it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack doesn't cut it. Try finding a needle in the depths of an ocean. Well, imagine that particular ocean resides on a planet whose surface is entirely water- no solid landmass of any kind. It's hard enough to find a member of HYDRA that infiltrated a government, spy agency, military division or anything. It's even harder to find a member of HYDRA that's actually loyal to these individuals and actually know about them, penetrating their disguises and their immaculate façades whilst giving off the impression that nothing out of the ordinary is happening at all- to the biggest organisation of spies, soldiers, scientists and all others. And don't doubt for one second that they aren't good at hiding things in the first place."

"She's right." Andrew finally spoke, startling everyone. "These are the trickiest enemies that you've ever faced. And the worst part: is that they grow stronger, smarter, faster- you name it."

"So, you decided to hunt them down." Alex said flatly. "Do you realise what could have happened? They were the ones who took us in the first place."

"Yes, which is why we were betting on them underestimating us," Andrew said calmly.

"And yet, you called _me_ reckless." Alex looked positively deadly now. "For charging a hydra."

"We planned. We executed."

"If you're going against someone who may fight back or destroy you, things rarely go according to plan. It's the same for all military operations. What if they could tell that you were making a move on them? Or that you suspect?"

"Ah, but you see," Andrew said. "They hide behind HYDRA. And HYDRA is at loggerheads with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"So, you framed S.H.I.E.L.D?" Eleana sounded surprised.

"No, we used them as a cover," Andrew confessed. "It might seem wrong to you, but we had no choice. In fact, we had an advantage: HYDRA's agents are all _expendable_ to them. And while the Agóna doesn't treat its own as expendable- every individual counts, it's just not done for the right reasons. Like she said, they do give up their own to HYDRA. They train soldiers, scientists and labourers for them, and teach them to say the HYDRA creed, parade their ideals and do such a great job for them- but some of them are secretly loyal to the Agóna. If HYDRA and the Nekrikí Agóna ever clash, they'd know which side they'll pick and it'll be the one who trained them- who taught them to feign loyalty to others, whether it's HYDRA, S.H.I.E.L.D or some government, but nurture their loyalty towards themselves.

"But I digress. What I meant to say was, since HYDRA's been infiltrated by Agóna operatives, and HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D are against one another… Well, we do have our ways. We can easily make it look like S.H.I.E.L.D's taken one of their own- another casualty or a prisoner. Simple."

"I'm amazed," Alex drawled. "You didn't think this would make things harder for us all- what if they'd panicked?"

"Every single day, a HYDRA operative is killed or found out by a S.H.I.E.L.D agent." Andrew stated clearly. "HYDRA are expert infiltrators and sleeper agents- not just scientists and soldiers. And who infiltrated HYDRA? Who was ever that good, that _outstandingly_ amazing to infiltrate HYDRA- a hidden organisation who's infiltrated the White House, the American Senate and the House of Representatives, the CIA, Number Ten Downing Street and the House of Commons in London, MI6, MI5, the Kremlin and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation- to name a few. Who? Only them."

Their audience were pale.

"Only the Agóna. So, if we find someone who's affiliated to HYDRA, but is secretly loyal to them-"

"We make it look like it was yet another confrontation between agents. We also tip S.H.I.E.L.D off time to time," Aglaia said. Her mask made a face. "Though we've not taken the risk lately. They're far too paranoid. And if it's a HYDRA sleeper agent who's infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D but is a triple agent for the Agóna-"

"We make sure they're found out and when S.H.I.E.L.D is hunting them," Andrew said calmly. "We intervene. Fake a death. An explosion. Things like that. Long enough to interrogate them." He cast a look at Eleana. "You know how we interrogate them."

"Yes." Aglaia sighed before anyone could ask any questions about that She gave a glance at everyone around the table. They seemed to be struggling to absorb everything.

"Agóna?" Percy managed.

"Yes." Aglaia stated. "And they have influence and power not only over terrorist groups, but numerous other things. I'm sure they must get their money from somewhere. Not just bribery."

"So why don't you enlighten us?" Alex asked. His voice was menacingly low. "Where do they get their money?"

"Unfortunately," Aglaia said. "Our friend died before he could reveal more."

"So out of all of this," Alex waved his hand casually in the air. "You only received a name and a list of organisations and governments they have influence and power over."

"That's not a small list, Alex." Andrew said dryly.

"What about their base?" He shot back. "The one we escaped from?"

"You mean in Sokovia?" Aglaia sounded surprised.

"Yes."

"Wait," Will spoke up. "Sokovia? Isn't that a country in Eastern Europe?"

"You're correct." Andrew acknowledged.

"Sokovia has quite a depressing history," Aglaia confessed. "In my eyes, every country is special, but this one's not remarkably noteworthy in the eyes of others. However, in a time when airplanes had not yet been invented, and travel and trade was done mostly via sea, Sokovia was the gateway and the crossroads to anywhere and everywhere on the continent. Particularly if you're intending on going somewhere landlocked in Europe. Empires have fought wars over it since the Middle Ages, the Nazis made a point of invading and had a dangerously firm hold upon the country, fighting like the devil to keep it that way. And then when the Cold War came, it landed right in the Soviet sphere of influence. Ever since then, even after the fall of the USSR, corrupt dictators suppressed any opposition with ruthlessness and brutality, while opposing factions have proved just as brutal and callous." Aglaia paused. "In short, the people of Sokovia have not had it easy. Anyone could come home only to be killed on the way, or to find their houses trashed and their families brutally killed or taken as hostages."

Nearly everyone winced.

"Which was why with all its civil wars, and numerous other conflicts, uprisings and such, it was comparatively easy for HYDRA to manipulate the Sokovians- on either side." Andrew's grey eyes gleamed threateningly. "And no doubt they've built or reconstructed old buildings to use as facilities housing all the children they've taken throughout the world. They used HYDRA to bribe the officials or the rebel groups- perhaps both, though without the others knowing. And HYDRA gives it to them as a gift, influenced by Agóna agents."

Annabeth looked pinched and pale. "They sound dangerous." She admitted. "Very dangerous."

Andrew looked at her flatly. "You have no idea. We've told you nothing of them yet."

It should have made them feel cold but Percy convinced himself that they'd faced worse. Maybe he was wrong, Kronos and Gaea didn't seem as clever. But they had to get over this fear.

And there was something else. Something which had been disturbing him ever since he'd met Andrew. His face… He looked a little like Nico in the fact that he might have been originally been olive-skinned, but like Nico had grown pale instead, like marble. In fact, he reminded Percy of a marble statue, with his perfectly straight and high nose, and defined cheekbones- like some ancient bust of a Greek prince, king or an Athenian general. Except that he had dark hair and his eyes…

Percy's eyes widened. He looked at Annabeth, and her own grey eyes, shared by her siblings in Cabin Six. His eyes were grey.

Grey eyes. What did they call Athena?

The grey-eyed one.

Andrew leaned back against his seat. "I still think it was incredibly reckless." Alex said bluntly.

"It was either that or wait for them to come find us, and I am done waiting for something worse than death." Aglaia said flatly. She turned her eyes towards him. "They have a great deal to answer for. Torture, murder, kidnapping and starvation- who knows just how many children died thanks to them?" Her iridescent green orbs flashed.

"And if they had taken _you_ back?" Alex challenged. He looked at the two of them. "You would not only have failed at stopping them- it would have been the end of you both."

"We made certain that they would not find you if they did," Aglaia said carefully.

"Once they've found them, they leave no survivors _alive."_ Alex said, eyes blazing terrifyingly.

His handsome face was grim and dark, like thunder clouds. His eyes seemed to flash silvery-sparks. Everyone else would have probably been too afraid to approach him. But worse was what he said.

 _They leave no survivors alive…_

"No," Aglaia said quietly. "They never do. But they know we've escaped. Do you think we'd still, waiting for them to find us? Do you think that's a good idea? My family remain in public, Alex. Anything could be framed as an accident. Or maybe HYDRA could take them hostage. I, for one, would rather not wait. Who knows how many hostages they can take? The lengths they're willing to go, the things they're ready to do?" She stared him down. "We were children. And how many of us survived?"

Silence. She was the only one brave enough to look him in the eye like that. Jason thought he'd spotted admiration and respect in Alex's eyes.

Alex froze when he felt a vibrating sound. He looked down at his cell phone. "Excuse me," he muttered. Turning away, he tried to find someplace quiet.

* * *

"Hello?"

"It's Sergeant Nathaniel Darrow." The voice said.

In the dark, Alex's eyes narrowed.

"I take it there's trouble on your front, then?"

"Yes. They're onto them."

"Who?"

"The Avengers."

Alex ground his jaw. Damned, pesky mortals. "And?"

"They came to my house, asking questions about Captain Emily Zhang, Frank's mother. They had a photo of Mars."

Alex's eyes narrowed further. "A photo? Of the war god?"

"Well, of Emily, me and our teammates, with Mars hanging around. I had the copy which didn't have Mars, but somehow they've managed to obtain a picture with the war god, and enhanced it."

"Damn," Alex cursed. "They know Frank Zhang's involved?"

"Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Leo Valdez and possibly more."

Alex sighed. "Then we'll just have to accelerate our plans, then. Can't have the Avengers or damned S.H.I.E.L.D, including the one-eyed personification of paranoia, catching the existence of Olympus before they're ready."

"How long is that gonna take?"

"I hope no one's listening in on you."

"Oh, I've made sure. But Alex," he lowered his voice. "They've found out that the Ten Rings targeted Emily- specifically. They're the ones who targeted him in the first place."

"Do they know who's infiltrated your military's command centre?" Alex asked.

"No- they just think it's the Ten Rings. Or maybe they'll start to suspect HYDRA, knowing them."

"So they don't know about them- but now I do. Or rather," Alex made a face. "Aglaia and Andrew have found out."

"What?"

"They're called the Nekrikí Agóna. In case anything happens to us-" he grimaced. "As superstitious as this sounds, it _is_ actually quite useful to know the name. Make sure the others know about them."

"Right. And are you sure about this? Heading into Olympian territory? What if the gods find out?"

"We'll just have to stay two steps ahead until it's right," Alex answered. "Be careful. I wouldn't put it past Stark, Romanoff, Barton and S.H.I.E.L.D to bug you."

"Do you intend to tell Frank Zhang about what happened to his mother?" Nathaniel questioned.

"I will," he assured him. "But we have to have an explanation as to how we know this. Plus, this may prompt him to do something reckless."

"Or galvanise him into action."

"Nothing's a coincidence in this world," he said flatly. "Thanks for the tip, Nathan."

"Don't mention it."

The line went dead. Alex put his phone down and took a deep breath to calm himself. Everything was happening so fast, which was both good and bad. They needed to get moving.

* * *

"We're in trouble." He said when he approached them.

"W-what?" Leo gaped.

Alex held out his phone. He had a WHIH news app installed and he opened it to show the very annoying, photogenically flawless, scathing Christine Everhart. The most damnable person ever to grace TV. Or maybe a toothpaste ad. She certainly had the teeth for it.

"The attack in Athens' royal palace, with the hydra," he bit out. "With the Mist down," Reyna murmured thoughtfully.

Christine Everhart spoke up on the video clip. Something about a monster creature, possibly an alien, in Athens' royal palace kidnapping- Alex really didn't want to hear that. He didn't want them to hear too much either.

"S.H.I.E.L.D's been called, Greece's government has called for a state of emergency, they're thinking maybe something that happened to New York will happen to them." He said shortly. "Either way, no one's getting in or out."

"Well, isn't that just perfect," Aglaia drawled, sarcastically. "What else is new?"

Alex gave Frank a long look. "You said your surname was Zhang." He said flatly. "And that you're Canadian."

Frank stared. "Um… Why?"

"Have you ever heard about a soldier named Emily Zhang? Captain Emily Zhang?"

Frank started. "Wait- _what?!_ She's my mom!"

Alex took a deep breath. "Someone is trying to find out details of her death," he said. "Someone being the Avengers."

" _What?!_ _The Avengers?!_ Wh-" Frank was saved from his shock and undignified moment by Hazel.

"Why are they looking into Frank's mother?" She asked.

Alex was reassured by her calmness. She seemed sensible. "Because," he said slowly. "Your mother," he addressed Frank slowly. "Was targeted by the same people who targeted Tony Stark years ago, in Afghanistan. The ones who prompted him to become Iron Man."

Gasps from all around. "The Ten Rings," Aglaia said softly.

"That's not all." Alex said darkly. "They _specifically_ targeted her. The Avengers are beginning to believe that the Canadian military has been infiltrated. And the Canadian government will just have to be added to the long list of governments which are a threat."

"It's them." Andrew said darkly. "We told you, they've infiltrated HYDRA. Well, not just HYDRA. The Ten Rings."

"How much do we know about the Ten Rings?" Drypetis asked.

"Almost nothing," Andrew answered. "Except that they're even more secretive and harder to catch than HYDRA. According to S.H.I.E.L.D's files, they aren't your typical terrorists. The level of secrecy is unparalleled- that is, when you're not comparing them to the Agóna. We still don't know who's behind them. They're dedicated to destroying world peace by whatever means necessary."

"Why would they target my mom?" Frank's voice broke. Instantly, Hazel was by his side. As were his friends. "How do you know this?"

"We have contacts within S.H.I.E.L.D," Mizuki confessed. "Alex may not have known what we were doing but he did know enough that we needed insiders within S.H.I.E.L.D." Alex closed his eyes.

"I don't know why they targeted her," Aglaia said gently. "But I do know that if you're a demigod, just as we are, and an organisation targeted her is affiliated with them." Her gaze hardened. "It means that the Nekrikí Agóna are responsible."

Frank sank to his knees. "No," he found himself saying. "No."

Hazel embraced him, but Frank…

"I'm sorry," Aglaia's voice was compassionate. "But if they've had something to do with this-"

Frank looked up. His eyes blazed. "I'm going to find them." He vowed.

"Are you?" Andrew asked, eyebrow raised. "For one thing, do you even know that the Ten Rings have numerous undercover cells worldwide, not just in Afghanistan, but possibly in this very country? And that they each operate independently from each other? That they're disorganised, but very hard to find, even more than HYDRA? It took us over a year to actually find proof that they are connected to the Agóna, that's a _few years less_ than it took for us to uncover the truth behind our individual theories-" he gestured to Aglaia. "That some other organisation was behind all this. It's hard to differentiate between spy and civilian, it's even harder to differentiate between regular CIA and MI6 spy from S.H.I.E.L.D, and infinitely harder to differentiate between a S.H.I.E.L.D operative and a HYDRA sleeper agent. And it's way harder to find out who among those are Agóna loyalists."

"I don't _care!"_ Frank shouted. Hot tears threatened to spill. "She's my mother! They did this to her!" He choked. The tears slipped and fell, Frank no longer caring.

You go out there alone, you'll disappear, as if you've never existed." Andrew warned. "Worse, you might pull someone with you. You have info they can torture you for," Hazel's eyes were wide. "On the camps. On nearly all the demigods here. On Olympus' location. On your gods. The strengths and weaknesses of your armies. _Everything."_

Whispers of shock and fear radiated everywhere. Panic threatened to rip them apart. Someone could attack them. Someone could infiltrate and do this to them. Someone could harm their mortal families.

Like it or not they had no choice but to trust them.

"He's right." Alex said. He bore no resentment or grudging admiration for acknowledging this. He looked at Frank directly. "We need you alive and safe so we can figure out a way to take out this threat forever."

"Do you think-" Reyna began, her eyes wide. "We'll be able to rescue more demigods?"

The newcomers were silent.

It was Aglaia who broke the silence. "I don't think," she began. "That we should rule that out. But be warned: not everyone survives, one way or another. The ones that end up serving will have been brainwashed and mind-conditioned, raised from a very early age to be loyal."

"To kill. To become the perfect killers," Alex said bluntly. "They would have had backgrounds where their mortal parents were abusive. And their immortal ones might not even remember they existed. They could've grown up on the streets. And ended up worshipping them in order to survive."

"We'll have to be careful with everyone we meet." Eleana said carefully.

"For now, I think you should warn your mortal families," Mizuki said. "Contact them and if they don't know, make your excuses that you'll be busy and that you won't be able to see them for a few months, even- anything. They can't be used as bait."

"Then," Alex said. "We have to come up with a decent plan. And if it's alright, we need to prep everyone up to fight them."

Frank clenched his fists. "And will that work?"

"We can prepare, against enemies like them, there's no guarantee, though." Alex said. "Can you teach us?" Piper asked. "To be like you?"

The newcomers looked at one another.

"We can try," Drypetis said. "But in the meantime… What do we do about trust? We're willing to work with you. Even trust you. Are you willing to trust us?"

Many of them looked incredulous. Most of them didn't even have a choice.

"Regarding your Olympian parents," Aglaia spoke. "I want a contract."

"A contract?" Percy echoed.

"Yes. None of us are willing to see them face-to-face, or even come in contact to them. There's no trust lost between us. So, there needs to be a contract. They're likely paranoid we're about to betray them, we don't trust them not to hurt us, even if we are their children." She explained. Aglaia stood. "I propose a contract. Signed under the oath of the River Styx- that's the binding oath in Greek mythology, isn't it? To prevent betrayal from all sides. We've already sworn not to hurt, kill, imprison or betray you in any way, nor allow such things to happen to you. They must do the same for us."

"She's right." Drypetis said. She put down the things she had been tinkering. "They must swear not to do any of those things to us. Not to hurt us, not to kill us, not to imprison or betray us."

"And," Aglaia continued, holding up a hand. "That they won't allow it to happen either. To blackmail or threaten us. Even bribery cannot be tolerated."

Reyna looked incredulous. So did the others. "You think the gods would do that- well, maybe some would-" thunder. "But to force them to sign this oath-"

"We also want to be left alone after this," Aglaia interrupted abruptly. "We don't want them forcing us to do quests to fetch a pair of shoes, a godly helmet, or anything for them. We don't want to be forced or feel compelled to kill anything for their benefit."

"We've suffered enough." Eleana said, her voice firm. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, but after what _they_ did to us…"

"Long story short, we're sick and tired," Alex stated. "We've dealt with callous, greedy, selfish individuals who had so much power, they didn't think it was too much to lord it over us, to force us to kill each other," Alex's voice rose. "To slave for them!" He stepped closer. "Do you know something? There were a group of kids, back in their base in Sokovia. How old were they? Pre-school to primary age! A seven-year-old girl, and a four-year old were pitted against one another, forced to fight to the death!" Their eyes widened. Alex went on. "The seven-year-old won, but she hesitated when the trainer gave the order to kill. The little girl was threatened, and she finally gave in. The four-year-old died." Gasps. "The seven-year-old was beaten up badly by an adult and nearly killed because she showed hesitation, the slightest bit of mercy. Next time, they told her, they would kill _her_ if she showed any mercy. That was what it was like back there," he said threateningly. "And we are _not_ putting up with any of that anymore."

Piper tried to speak. "They would never-" But even she couldn't be sure.

"No." Aglaia stood. "And part of our agreement are funerary arrangements. I want a Greek Orthodox funeral, a burial. Alex is a Roman Catholic," she looked at him. "So, I think he'll be okay if-"

"Cremation, Catholic ceremony," he said bluntly. "Mizuki is a Shinto- so a Shinto funeral is required." Aglaia said.

"And I'm Zoroastrian," Drypetis spoke up. "I want an air burial."

Percy looked at her strangely. "A what?"

"I want my body to be exposed," she said. "Fire is sacred to the followers of Ahura Mazda, Lord of the Eternal Flame," she insisted. "We cannot allow fire, nor the earth from which all life grows, nor the waters from which we drink and which teems with life, to be tainted by the touch of rotting corpses.

"I want my body cut up and placed on a _Dakhma_ \- a Tower of Silence, which is a circular structure, raised for dead bodies. My body must be allowed to decompose as it will and fed to the vultures or other scavenging birds."

His jaw dropped.

"You do realise that many Zoroastrians nowadays opt for cremation?" Aglaia asked dryly.

"Makes no difference to me. I follow the old ways." She said shortly. She had been tinkering again. "I'll give written instructions on what must be done, the details of the ceremony, the prayers said, but it must be carried out."

"Right." Percy swallowed. He looked at Reyna, Frank, Annabeth, Jason and Piper. "Any _other_ preferences?"

"Do you have any preferences?" Aglaia asked. "Like I said, I'm just going for an Orthodox Greek Christian burial. The last rites. Things like that. Should anything happen to me, I want to be buried near my family estate."

"Ashes scattered," Alex shrugged. "After the last rites and a Catholic ceremony. From Tara."

"Burial, Catholic funeral." Andrew shrugged.

"Shinto funerary rites are somewhat complex," Mizuki sighed. "I can write out details later. But you'll need Shinto priests for that."

"I don't follow any particular religion, but I was Anglican prior to all the craziness of my life." Eleana heaved a breathy sigh. "Cremation sounds good."

"Well," Annabeth bit her lip. "We do have… Cremations here at our camps. With burial shrouds."

Their eyes darkened.

"No," Drypetis was the one who spoke. "My family and I have suffered more than enough. We were banished and exiled from our home, under pain of death or imprisonment and torture. The fire temple was stormed," she said heatedly. "We fled as refugees, treated as unwanted garbage, passed from one place to another, until Sweden _generously_ allowed us within their borders. And even then, many made it quite clear they did not want us. My mother was shunned by her community _and_ her family for bearing a child _out of wedlock!_ Yet she still bore the brunt of it, raised me well, taught me everything she knew and more, to be a good person. Even though everyone, including my own father, threw us aside like rubbish." She hissed. "I will not have anything to do with the father that does such things. I want an air burial- Zoroastrian funeral."

"Now that's done." Aglaia spoke suddenly. She placed a piece of rolled up paper on the table. "There's the contract. I drew it up and spoke to the others on the way here. Feel free to look at it, if you wish. I have more than one copy."

Nobody spoke.

"What if they…" Connor Stoll spoke hesitantly. "Refuse?"

Alex shrugged. "Then I'm afraid," he said menacingly. "You'll have to deal with this problem on your own. And the problem of the rapidly disappearing Mist. I warn you, it's going to be very, _very_ difficult. Even for my standards." He smiled grimly.

Another silence.

"Then it's settled." Annabeth stood. She took the copy of the contract. "We'll all sign this?"

"Correct." Aglaia said. She produced a pen. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

After having the contract examined multiple times by well, the Athena Cabin and the cleverest, sharpest campers available, Aglaia was the first to sign.

In an elegant flourish, she wrote her signature- in Greek. Seriously, it was the Greek alphabet. And in English.

"There are numerous copies in Classical Latin and Greek, Modern Greek and English." She explained. "It was the best we could do in such short notice."

Mizuki took the pen and signed next in Japanese Kanji and English. Alex took the pen, signed the contract, passed it to Drypetis who signed in her native Farsi, Swedish and English. Eleana took it, and she passed it to Andrew after she'd signed.

Percy was the first camper to sign. He signed it, in both Ancient Greek and English and Jason took it and signed it in Greek, English _and_ Latin. Piper, Annabeth, Reyna, Leo and everyone present signed it on behalf of the camps.

"Now that's all done." Eleana said. "Are you going to take this to the gods?"

"Why don't you come with us?" Someone asked. Darkened looks and scowls were what they received in response.

Despite the contract, mistrust still reigned. Well, that and resentment.

"Fine," Piper took the contract. "Jason and I will take it."

"Now _that_ is a good idea," Percy admitted. They were the ones most likely to convince the gods, even with Piper's charmspeak.

* * *

"What?!" Everyone on Olympus gaped.

Hephaestus looked away. The fact that the girl, who might've been his child said…

 _Thrown away like rubbish… My own father…_ Did he? Did he do that? Did he mean to?

Like him?

"The nerve of them," Hera steamed.

"But did you hear what they said?" Someone else whispered. "The story about the seven-year-old and the four-year-old girl?"

Everyone winced and Artemis looked murderous. "They'll pay for this." She spat. "This… Agóna will pay."

"Do you think they were lying?" Athena wondered.

Hermes shook his head. "No," he admitted. "I'm the god of lies. I know when they're not lying."

"They're good at masking."

"Still no lie," he said flatly. He turned away. "I think we should sign this contract."

"I agree," Apollo said quietly. "It might bring them to justice. And…" He had been strangely quiet for all this. "It might prevent them from being enemies."

That was true.

Athena sighed. "I agree," she said passing a hand over her eyes. "I think that boy… Andrew… I know he's my son, but even I do not recall ever…" She hesitated.

Everyone grimaced.

"None of us can," Aphrodite bemoaned. "Not a single memory. Yet… I'm almost completely sure that that girl, Aglaia, is mine." She'd seen the girl without the mask.

"The same way the Persian girl, Drypetis has to be mine," Hephaestus agreed.

"And Mizuki and Eleana," Apollo was pained. "They're mine, aren't they?"

They all looked deep in thought.

"Either way," Athena said gravely. "Jason Grace and Piper McLean are approaching with the contract. It must be signed or else there is no way to resolve any of these issues."

And with grumbling in store, the Olympian council awaited the arrival of two of the Heroes.

* * *

The rest of the Heroes were down. Drypetis had come up with the first order of business. She and Andrew withdrew battle plans, and blueprints for, well, weapons of all kinds. They discussed the Andrew discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the Agóna- as far as they knew them. The Agóna were still the most mysterious, enigmatic group they had ever encountered. They didn't know the operatives, much less the leaders.

"So, they rely on mortal terrorist groups like HYDRA and the Ten Rings to conceal them and do their dirty work," Annabeth theorised. "It doesn't sound big enough to be an actual force on its own."

"Oh, I promise you, they have no lack of manpower," Aglaia warned her. "HYDRA and the Ten Rings are extra precautions- though that is like wiring your home security system to a nuclear bunker. Complete overkill, but a necessary precaution come to think about it. They're very sharp." She said ruefully.

Annabeth grimaced, yes that was true.

"But the number of children they've captured…" Aglaia hesitated. "We are only a few of the survivors. I know for a fact that there were many, many more from that particular base in Sokovia, which is now in ruins."

"Those poor children," Calypso murmured. Her fists clenched. "What kind of sick joke do they think it is to make a seven-year-old and a four-year-old girl fight to the death, like slaves in a fighting pit?"

"Yeah," Hazel growled. Her eyes actually blazed with fury. The others looked murderous. "And they killed Frank's mother."

"They must've known she was the mother of a demigod," Aglaia murmured.

Piper gasped. "Or that she was a Legacy- a descendant of Poseidon."

Everyone paled further.

"They've got to go," Clarisse hissed. "We can't tolerate them, taking out our families- that's way out of line! I say we send them a message."

"Yeah," Someone agreed.

"Don't allow yourselves to be goaded by them," Mizuki warned. "Those were some of the ways they can use to trap you."

"She's right." Aglaia stated. She shook her head. "We can't underestimate them. We don't even know the full extent of what they're capable of or what they've done. And something tells me that this isn't even the half of it. It was almost impossible for me and Andrew to find much about them."

"Even less possible to find out if they operate like the Ten Rings, independent of one another, or like HYDRA, a single, global organisation, despite being covert." Andrew stated.

"And if there is a head… Where are they? Where are the headquarters? Who are the ones behind all this?" Aglaia shook her head again. "So many impossibilities."

"The base in Sokovia…" Annabeth murmured. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Only now that it's in ruins," Aglaia stated. "I was unconscious when that happened. I would have never gotten out without Alex carrying me off to safety." Her eyes softened.

Annabeth absorbed all this. "So it's destroyed?"

"Utterly." Aglaia straightened. She looked at the others. "It was quite the explosion. They barely managed to get us out."

Drypetis smiled. "I was sent to fix the machinery below. Unnoticed by them- and I had spent months planning this- I purposely made a default. I had to find a way to activate it, when the time was right, and to conceal it from them. But Alex knew and-" he winced. "So did Aglaia. And a few others. They made the necessary distractions."

"And when the timing was right," Andrew continued. "When it looked dangerously close, warning sirens, panic, mayhem…"

"We did a whole bunch of other things too," Drypetis confessed. "But I daresay, maybe they weren't expecting something as simple, and yet as brilliant as this." Eleana said, appearing from seemingly nowhere, nodding approvingly at her friend.

"And yet it has always chafed at me," Aglaia frowned. Her mask frowned with her. Piper found it strange, but she began to forget, despite the obvious gold cast, that this was not her actual face. "It was so easy."

"Yes," Andrew admitted. "But we got out. And we managed to survive."

"They're like learning robots," Drypetis warned. "They will learn from this mistake. They did not want to let any of us go. They will make no mistakes again."

"Clever but not impossible." Aglaia looked at Piper, Reyna and Annabeth.

"No," Annabeth agreed. "We'd better get started. It's going to be a long while."

Aglaia gave Alex a covert look, an exchange of glances before she followed them to the Big House.


End file.
